Make Some Real Magic
by Heroine of the Valley
Summary: Hermione has to follow her heart when she finds herself turning into a different person. I changed the main chars here. Thanks to a revier, i might get more reviews!
1. The Prefects

**Make Some Real Magic 1**

**The Prefects**

Disclaimer:  I'm used to doing this with all my anime fanfics.  I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form.  It's J.K Rowling who is the creator--not me.  And might I say that she is my hero! ^.^ She rocks and I don't think her books are evil!

Author's Note:  This is my first HP fic so please, leave a nice review and don't flame me, okay.  My memory of all the books isn't very good.  I borrowed books 2-4 from somebody and I just re-read book 1 and saw the movie, which rocked, wasn't all that true to the book, but still rocked.  So I might put some of my little author notes throughout the story, I know some readers hate that but better to put them in now instead of getting emails asking me what the heck I am doing.  So please don't hurt me if I probably put one of the characters that should've had already graduated and I make them 6th or 7th years or something…nobody's perfect!  And this takes place after the 4th book, so Harry Potter and friends are 5th years now!  This is a HGxRW love triangle fic so if you don't' like it, then just teleport back by pressing the back button at your top left corner!  Oh, and Gary pointed some things out to me so it's a bit different.

Harry anticipated this.  His fifth year at Hogwarts and finally some freedom from his crazy fat Uncle Vernon, cruel Aunt Petunia and spoiled-rotten Cousin Dudley.  Every summer was the same.  He was never complimented for anything and was always teased for something--rather he meant to do it or not.  He thought it would be easier by now but it wasn't.  He was growing more anxious as time ticked by and he got closer and closer to his next year at Hogwarts and see his friends Ron, Hermione, Fred and George and--

Hedwig flew into his room with a letter in her talons.  Harry smiled and breathed a sigh of relief a she dropped the letter on his lap.  He rubbed the back of his fore finger on her feathered face and she nipped his finger affectionately and fluttered to her water bowl for a drink.   Harry opened his letter quickly but careful enough not to tear it apart--for he had been waiting for some word--from someone--anyone. He recognized the neat writing immediately.

_Harry,_

_Hello.  I've visited Victor Krum in Romania a few weeks back.  He told me that he wouldn't be transferring to Hogwarts this year.  He has to stay in Romania.  It's not that I'm sad about it or anything.  You're the only one I told.  _

_That's not the real reason why I wrote you.  I just had to tell someone and I didn't want to tell Ron.  I thought he would be busy or something.  I have great news! I am going to be a prefect this year!  Isn't that wonderful?  I am so excited.  I've always wanted to be a prefect.  Do you know that I'll be the first muggle-born prefect at Hogwarts or other school of witchcraft and wizardry?  Well, besides your mom of course.  I'll see you at Hogwarts this term.  _

_Hermione_

[Author's Note: There was a rumor on a HP site saying Hermione will be a prefect in book five.  And I'm sorry, but I can't remember Victor's school right now and how many years they have at that school--all I know is that he's 4 years older than she is.]

Harry read the letter again.  He wasn't surprised that Hermione would be a prefect.  She was very clever, gutsy and went by the rules...most of the time.  In his mind, there was no better person to be prefect for Gryffindor, even himself.  What surprised him, however, was that she didn't tell Ron about this.  Suddenly, he had a feeling that there might be some tension with his two best friends--again.

***

HOGWARTS EXPRESS

Harry craned his head around for a look for Ron or Hermione.  He saw Ginny whisk by him.

"Ginny?"

"Hmm?" she turned back and when she saw who said her name she gasped and put on a warm smile.  "Harry!  Hi!"  Even in her fourth year, Harry's presence still sent chills down her spine.

"Hello," he said.  "Have you seen Ron?"

She giggled and pointed past Harry before heading onto the train.  Harry turned around and saw Ron come through the platform, wiping off his mother's lipstick as Fred and George snickered at him.

"Even at his 5th year Mum stills---" Fred began.

"Shut up, Fred!" Ron snapped.

"Hello, Ron," Harry said as he walked up, "how was your--"

"Horrible," Ron said quickly, "I just hope that school will be better!"

"Well, I bet your summer couldn't be any worse than mine," Harry said.  "Want to talk--"

"You would not believe the things Fred and George came up with their new practical joke stand!" he blurted out as they boarded the train.  "They spent so much money on it that they didn't have enough money for anything important.  Not to mention that BOTH our owls got broken wings so I couldn't get any letters an--"

Harry just wanted to jump in the cargo bay right then and there if he could.

"---I was able to get some new dress robes, thank goodness," Ron went on.  The train was halfway to the school and he was boring Harry half to death of how boring and lousy his summer was.  "They're not lacy but---"

"What?" Harry asked, trying to seem he was interested in anything Ron was saying.  True, he wanted to know how his pals were but honestly, enough was enough.

"They're _maroon!" _ He belted out and his face dropped into his palms.

Harry laughed lightly.  

It's not funny, Harry!" Ron growled, flinging his head up.  "My Mum makes me a sweater every Christmas and it never fails--the bloody sweater is maroon! I hate maroon! Every single Christmas--"

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, "tough luck, Ron."

"Anything from the cart, loves?" inquired the goodie-cart witch.

"Yes!" Harry said, reaching in his pocket for some wizard money and putting it in her hand.  He took some goodies and she left.  As Harry was gulping down a treat, Ron kept speaking of how his life couldn't possibly be worse.

"Ha-Harry, are you listening to me?" Ron questioned.

"Y-yes, Ron," muttered Harry with his mouth full.  "Mm-hmm."

Ron tried to smile.  "I'm sorry Harry.  I shouldn't have told you that."

"Oh, it's okay," said Harry, "What're friends for?"

"Thanks, so," said Ron, rubbing the back of his neck as he searched for something new to say, "have you heard from Hermione?"

Harry popped a Bertie Bott's bean in his mouth and choked on it--and not because it was the flavor of dirt.  'I really don't need this right now…'

*****

"Back at Hogwarts, finally!" Ron cried, taking his seat at the Gryffindor table.  "Hey, where's Hermione?  Don't tell me she transferred to that--"

"Hello, Ron," she said across from him.  Her voice was more serious than usual.  She didn't his name as if he was a co-worker or something.

Ron felt his cheeks become warm, "Hello, Hermione.  So, how was your summer?" He noticed the silver P prefect badge, "Hey, you're a prefect!  That's great!"

"Oh, uh, thanks, Ron," she said coyly.  

"How come you didn't tell me you were---"

"Shh!" she hushed.

Professor Dumbledore walked across the front of the stage and welcomed everyone to a new year at Hogwarts.  Then Professor McGonagall picked up the sorting hat and by alphabetical order.

Each new student that joined the Gryffindor table, Hermione quickly scribbled their names down onto some parchment and got a good look at them so she'd remember them. And said a quick hello and introduced herself to each as they sat down. When Ron asked why she was doing what she was doing, she ignored him.

Ron looked at Harry and said, "I think she's ignoring me, Harry."

"I don't think she means to," Harry said.

After all the new students were sorted, the feast began.  The new students spoke to each other how strange and exciting it was to finally come to Hogwarts and they hoped not to blow anything up of a sort.

Ron was surprised at how Hermione was acting.  She was never like this before.

"Notice anything odd about Hermione lately?" Ron asked Harry.

"No," he replied, shaking his head.

"Hi, Ron," Neville said. "How was your--"

"It was good, Longbottom," Ron lied.  "Never better."  He knew if he started on telling the truth to Neville like he did to Harry, he probably wouldn't' stop talking, again.

"So how's Ginny?"

"I'm fine, Neville," Ginny said a few seats down.

"Hello!" he started a conversation with Ginny, beginning with his thanks for her coming with him to the Yule ball the year before.

When everyone had finished their meals, Professor Dumbledor announced that the prefects will bring all the first years to their houses.

"Prefect for Ravenclaw will be, Terry Boot!"  Terry Boot stood up at the end of the Ravenclaw table.

"Prefect for Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchy!"

"Prefect for Slytherin, Draco Malfoy!"

"Malfoy's a prefect?" Harry gasped.

"Oh, we're doomed," Ron mumbled, "we're doomed."

As if he heard what Ron said, Draco turned and shot him a nasty grin.

"And Prefect for Gryffindor, Hermione Granger!"

Hermione stood up and nodded lightly as the Gryffindor table cheered.  Something told her to look over at the Slytherin table as something caught her eye.  Draco was smiling at her, but it wasn't one of his mischievous smiles when he gets someone from the other house in trouble. Malfoy never smiled like this to someone outside his house before. This smile he gave her was very different it was almost like the smile of a friend would give to another.  The way Harry and Ron sometimes smiled at her when they were having laughs together.  Hermione shivered and turned to face the table of her house.

"Prefects, please lead the first years to their houses," Dumbledor ordered, "let a new Hogwarts year begin!"

All the prefects ordered the first years of their houses, shouting, "all right, first years, this way, this way, first years, I am so and so of this tower and" and what not.

"Hey, Hermione, I've got a question--" Ron started.

"Sorry Ron, but I need to get the first years to Gryffindor," she said.  "I'll see you and Harry in the common room eventually--All right first years my name is Hermione Granger, incase you haven't known.  I have all your names written down and I'll remember each every--"

"Hi, Granger," Draco Malfoy said, almost friendly to her as he was leading the pack of new Slytherins to their tower.  "You're a prefect too, huh?"

"Draco," she muttered half-politely without even looking at him, the way you would address someone when you're angry or preoccupied.  Then she went on explaining that Gryffindor was the best and what to do in which class, how you shouldn't look at whatever teacher and the like.  

"Hermione's a pretty good prefect, don't you say?" Harry asked Ron.

"Yeah," said Ron as they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Password?" the fat lady asked.

"Remember the password, it is very important," Hermione whispered to the others behind her, "write it down if you have to but remember also that it changes every year."  She looked at the fat lady and said firmly, "Crookshanks."

"Crookshanks?" Harry and Ron said together.

"Her cat is the password?" Ron gasped.

"Shh!" Neville said, scribbling it down.  "How do you spell Crookshanks?"  
*****

"Now this is the Gryffindor common room," Hermione Granger explained, "this is where we study, play games, talk, etcetera.  Gentlemen's dorms are to your left and up and for the ladies the same to the right.  Any questions?"

"I have one!" Ron blurted out, "how come you never told us that you were a prefect?"

"I told Harry," she said.

"You told Harry?" he looked at Harry as if he had been betrayed, "Harry, you knew about this?"

Harry sighed, feeling like he was on the spot.  "Well--"

"Hey, is that Harry Potter?" gasped one of the new years.

"You mean the one who survived You-Know-Who more than once?"

"Of course, see his scar?" they walked up to him and started to ask him questions.

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Does that thing hurt?"

"Well," Hermione Granger said, "um, welcome to Gryffindor House of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Make yourselves at home and _please_ do not show up for transfiguration late."  She glanced at Harry and Ron, "you might want to look around before you get lost."  She smiled and made her way up to the girl's dormitory followed by Ginny and a few of the girl Gryff students.

*****

"Oy," Harry moaned, walking up to his bed, "do they need to ask me so many questions at once?"

Ron looked over at him with a cold stare.

"Please don't look at me like that, Ron," Harry said.

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME HERMIONE WAS A PREFECT!" he hollered, "WHY?"

"Shh!" Neville hushed, "I'm trying to relearn these potions so that Professor Snape won't do something horrible to me!"

"She didn't tell me she was going to be a prefect," Ron said.  "I'm her friend too!  I could've given her some hints!"

"Hints?" Seamus muttered.  "What do you know about being a prefect?"

"Seamus, Percy was a prefect when we started at Hogwarts!" he yelled, "don't' you remember?  Percy my brother?  The guy with the other red hair?"

"She thought you might be busy with something," Harry said in his defense.  "It's not like she was covering her badge or something.  She just wrote me a letter before term started.  She had to tell someone."

"But why did she tell you and not me?" he demanded.

"Don't worry about it, Ron." Harry said.  "Hermione's a very clever girl and she'll do fine.  No other 5th year here could do better."

"I know that," muttered Ron, "I'm just mad that she didn't tell me before hand."

"She's the best one for the job," added Neville.

"Hermione's more than just clever, Harry," said Thomas.

"What?" Questioned every one in the room, mouths hanging open.

"Well, Hermione was always clever and witty, before then, remember fellahs?" he said.

"Yeah, so?" Ron inquired, "What's your point?"

"Well, she wasn't _always_ the best looking girl in Gryffindor, with that bushy hair of hers and overbite but now…well, let's just say that all the guys from every table was looking at her today?"

"Oh come on," Harry said, "I'm sure they were looking at more than just Hermione all the time.  They had to be eating too and--"

"Harry, I know she's your friend but you know what I'm talking about."  Thomas said.

"She does look very pretty now," Neville said, "well, I always thought she was pretty but now she's very, very pretty."

"You weren't the only one that noticed, Neville," Thomas said.  "Someone did too.  Another prefect."

"Uh, Terry Boot from Ravenclaw?" guessed Ron.

"No," Thomas shook his head, "Draco Malfoy, from Slytherin."

Ron gasped.  There was no way.  But could it be possible?

**So, um, how was that?  I wasn't sure who to pick for prefects so if you have better candidates, you can give them to me.  I just picked them out from book 1 when they all tried on the sorting hat.**

**Next Chapter:  Stir Me Up**


	2. Stir Me Up

**Make Some Real Magic 2**

**Stir Me Up**

_Disclaimer:  J.K Rowling is my hero and she is the mastermind who created Harry Potter, not me!  This chapter has a really HOT Draco and Hermione scene!  _

"Hi, Lavender," Hermione said as she came to potions.  

"Hi!" she greeted back, "congratulations, on being a prefect, Hermione.  I guess we'll be partners this term, eh?"

"Yeah."

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape drawled, "Mr. Malfoy will be your partner."

"But we're not--" she argued.

"Do not argue with me, Miss Granger," he said, "I will not let you 'help' any of the other students.  Go."

Hermione looked curiously at Lavender, half expecting her to say something in her defense and Lavender just looked as surprised as she was.  Hermione sighed and slowly went to Draco's table.

"What's the deal, Draco?" she demanded in a harsh whisper, so that Professor Snape couldn't hear.

"Isn't it obvious, Granger?" he asked, a slight grin appearing on his face, "we'll be partners.  Since we're both prefects, we'll be partners.  It's a rule."

"I never heard of such--" she began.

"Professor Snape just came up with it," he said, nodding to him.

Hermione was not convinced.  Somehow, Draco must've had bribed Professor Snape into making her his partner and since Snape favored Draco so, he let him.

"Look who is Hermione's partner!" Harry said to Ron.  "Thomas was right!"

A sneer went across Ron's face.  "I thought she was going to be Lavender's partner."

"So did I!" Lavender said back, "but--"

"Silence!" Snape shouted.  "I want you all to start brewing a potion of ginger root and--"

*****

They began the potion brewing.  Hermione took a ginger root and knife and began to chop away as Draco read the instructions to her.  She was chopping them just fine but Draco made his move anyway.

"Oh, careful, Granger," he said, "You wouldn't want to cut yourself.  Here, let me help you."

"I can cut ginger roots," she muttered through her teeth.

He didn't listen.  He got behind her, placed his left hand over hers, which was holding down the roots and wrapped his other around her cutting hand.  He guided her hand with the knife.  "Careful, now."  He whispered, his lips just an inch from her ear, his breath tickling it.  "There we go.  Easier this way, isn't it?  You have very soft hands, Granger--" He thumbed the back of her left hand so delicately that it seemed to tickle her, but she forced herself not to giggle.

Ron couldn't take his eyes of them, "Harry, look at what that scumbag is doing!" he muttered.  "Do something! He's all over her!"

"Like what?" Harry demanded.  "Careful, Ron, you'll cut yourself!"  

"No I won't," coming very close to cutting his finger.  

"Ron!" Harry shouted.  "Here, _I'll _cut the roots, you just read me the directions."

"But, Harry--"

Evidently, Hermione really did not need a knight in shining armor to rescue her.  She lifted her head up, cleared her throat and said, "Professor, could you _please_ tell Mr. Malfoy that I am quite capable of cutting the roots myself?"

Professor Snape looked up from his notes and grinned, "Miss Granger, did I say anything about putting blood in the potion?"

"No--but I won't cut myself!"

"Of course you won't," Snape said, "Mr. Malfoy is making sure of that, isn't he?"

She gasped and she didn't have to look at Draco to know he was grinning.  Realizing that there was no way to make Snape reconsider, she accepted her defeat and relaxed her hand over the knife, letting Draco do all the work.

"I can't stand this, Harry," Ron muttered.

"Don't' look at them," Harry insisted.

"Can't help it," he said.  

"This isn't any easier for me than it is for you but there's nothing we can do about it right now," Harry said, "let's just do the assignment and we can talk to Hermione about it later."

Crabbe and Goyle snickered sinisterly.  Ron smelled a rat.  He knew Malfoy was up to something.

After helping her cut the roots, Draco helped Hermione add them to the cauldron, with his hands right under hers that held the roots. They fell in the water, splattered and a drop and a few got on her face. 

"Auugh!" she shouted.  "It got on me, Draco you--"  It was just hot water, thank goodness, but she acted as if it was a potion that would turn someone into stone.

"Draco, what do you to do her?" Ron demanded, dropping the instructions and rushing to her side.  "You filthy--"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Granger!" Draco gasped, his hands right under his mouth in shock.  "Here, let me get that off for you! You poor thing! I am very, very sorry!  I didn't know it would splatter."

"No, I don't want your help!" she hissed.

"You heard her!" Ron shouted.

During all this, Professor Snape sat back as if he were enjoying a play.

But Draco grabbed her hand and picked up a cloth and wiped the drop off of her face.  "There, now, all better?  Are you okay?" He asked, still dabbing her face.  "You want me to help you to the hospital wing?  Good thing we weren't making an acidic potion, hmm?" 

"Don't act sorry, Malfoy," Ron said through clench teeth, "you did that on purpose!"

"I did not!" Draco shouted.  "It was an accident!"

"Why you!" Ron almost lunged toward and Snape shouted.

"Ron, get back to your desk!  Ten points from Gryffindor!"

"But Professor--"

"Now, Mr. Weasley!" he ordered and Ron slunk back to his desk.  He looked at Draco, who was checking to see if any of the solution got in Hermione's eyes.  "And Mr. Malfoy, for helping Miss Granger in her moment of need, 20 points to Slytherin."

"Thank you, Professor," he said as he still checked for any water droplets on Hermione's face and asked her if she was all right repeatedly.

"Just never do that again, all right?" she demanded.

"I promise," he said.  "If it makes you feel any better, next time in potions, you can splash something on my face."

Hermione could not believe it.  First time in all her years at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy actually sounded sincere for once.  She wasn't sure what to think about it.  

"It's all right now, Draco," she said.  "I think you got it all. Can we just finish the making the potion now?"

"Of course, Granger," he said, "anything for you."

*****

"Hermione, how did you end up being Malfoy's partner?" Ron asked as they went to transfiguration.

"Because we're both prefects," she replied, still confused.  "I think Malfoy insisted to Snape for us being partners.  I mean, what a stupid reason.  Why would he want to be my partner?  He hates muggles and mudbloods!  What would he want with me?"

"It might be a joke or bet of some kind," Harry said.  "He probably wants to see if he can get a mudblood to like him or something."

"You okay?" Ron asked.

"Yes," she said, "it was only hot water."

"You could've gotten boils from that," Harry said.

"Yeah, well, thank goodness it was nothing gross like pig's blood or something," she said.

"Malfoy did that on purpose, you know," Ron said.  "He just did it so he could wipe it off."

"Yes, I know," she said.  "It's a little weird."

"Heard from Victor lately?"

"No, he's um," she said, trying not to hide her hurt.  "Not coming.  Has to stay in Romania."

"Did he hurt you or something, Hermione?" Ron questioned.

She didn't answer him.  They walked the rest of the way to transfiguration and did their work in silence.

*****

Hermione was making her way to Gryffindor tower that night when she heard a voice.

"Hi, Granger."

"Whatcha want, Draco?" she snapped, turning around.

"You've got every right to be angry," he said.  "I really didn't mean to--"

"Yes you did," she cut him off, "you dropped the roots in so they'd splatter only os you can wipe my face off."

He sighed, "Okay, you got me.  You're clever; I forgot that."

He admitted it.  Hermione stared in disbelief.

"I've always liked your cleverness, Granger," he flattered, "oh yes, the girls from my house can't even hold a candle to you."

"W-what are you talking about?" 

He folded his arms, "I wasn't surprised that you became a prefect.  I was hoping you'd become one, in fact.  You know you're the first muggle born prefect?"

"Yes, well, besides Harry's mother."

"I didn't know Potter's mother," he said. 

This made Hermione nervous.  Why was Draco suddenly being nice to her?

"So, congratulations, Granger," he said.

"Thanks," the word just sprang from her mouth.

"So, are you still involved with that Victor Krum guy?" he asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business!" She snapped, turning her back to him.

"Hey, don't go!" he questioned, going after her.  "What happened, Granger?  Did he hurt your feelings in some way?  I really want to know!"

"Fine," she muttered, turning to him again and walking up to him.  "You really want to know, Malfoy?  Victor didn't dump me; I dumped him!  He was a great quidditch player but he was older than I am and he could never say my name right!  It was embarrassing! And now that I dumped him I think I made a mistake because I feel alone again! And besides, I think he was interested in someone else at his own school."

"I'm sorry, Granger," Said Draco.

"Are you?" she demanded.

"Of course I am."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Why do you care anyway?"

He shrugged, "well, like you said, he couldn't say your name right and everything. I've known you longer too and I could say--"

"Are you sure, Malfoy?" she sneered, folding her arms, "you never called me by my first name, not once!  You never call _anyone _by their first names."

"You're a bit feisty too," he said, "I _like_ that!"

"Draco, this is very weird," she said, "for the past years at Hogwarts you wouldn't' give me the time of day!  You don't like muggles or mudbloods so why are you trying to get on my good side now, huh?"

"All right," Draco sighed, dropping his hand on her shoulder, making her gasp and back up a bit, however, he kept his hold on her, "I'll be honest with you, Hermione--"

"You said my name," she whispered, surprised, "and you said it right!"

"Of course," he said, "just because I've never said it doesn't mean I don't know how to say it."

"You have a point there, Draco," she said, finding herself smiling, her teeth showing.

"Hey, you have a cute smile," he said.

This made her blush, "really?"

He nodded.  "That Victor Krum's no good for you, Hermione," said Draco, staring into her eyes, "I could you offer you so much more. So much more." Saying this, he ran his hand through her silky hair, which used to be very bushy and perhaps never had a brush touch it.  "You know, I only thought that only full-blooded magic people could really succeed.  In away, I guess you could say I was looking out for mudbloods.  Mudbloods, I figured, couldn't become good witches or wizards.  But you proved me wrong, didn't you?"

Now she giggled, "I sure did!"  She wasn't sure why she was giggling, being _friendly_ with Draco.

"I guess a mudblood proving his or herself as a good witch or wizard is real magic," he said.  

She nodded, "yes, that's right."

"So, how about we just put all the nonsense behind us, huh?" he asked, stepping closer to her, "We can become friends, you know and maybe make some real magic together own our own?  What do you say, Hermione?"

"Well, Draco," she said, her face warm, "I'm flattered but--"

"But what?"

"You know.  I'm in Gryffindor House and you're in Slytherin.  No two people from Gryffindor House and Slytherin house became friends."

"Yeah, we could make history together," he said.  

"It would be interesting," she said, "and I'm very flattered, Draco, really but how do I know if you're really sincere?  I mean, this could be a joke or something and--"she heard a noise behind her and looked over her shoulder, "hey what was that--"

Before she turned all the way, Draco pulled Hermione close to him, his arms tight around her back and kissed her on the lips.  She could feel him pressing her to him with his hands that were on her back.  Hermione's eyes were wide open with surprise; her body ridged and her fingers pointed to the floor.  For a split second, she wasn't sure what to do--whether to push him away from her and scream, "How dare you!"--Stay still until he finished kissing her--or to kiss back.  

Hermione realized that she was now getting a kiss--a real kiss--her first kiss.  Something she believed she'd never receive, from anybody.  It wasn't that she dreamed about getting a kiss but now she was getting one, she hoped to get some more.  It didn't matter to her now that it was Malfoy kissing her.  Before he could end the kiss, she relaxed, closed her eyes and lifted her arms around Draco's neck.  She felt something burning inside her, like a hot flame and she didn't want it to be put out, even if it was about to burn her to a crisp.  Kissing Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, a _rival_, was all she wanted to do.  For a guy that did the cruelest, most mischievous things, Draco Malfoy was one _really_ good kisser.

Breathless, they pulled away and Hermione pecked his lips right away.  Then they stared into each other's eyes, gasping for air.  Hermione could not believe what had just happened!  It was her first kiss and it felt so good!  It was the most amazing thing she ever felt.  The funny thing being that the guy who gave it to her was a Slytherin like Draco Malfoy.  He would never touch a mudblood, let alone kiss one.  But he had kissed Hermione like there would be no tomorrow.

The only problem was, someone had seen them. Ron.  He was standing next to a wall, spying on them.  He had only left the dormitories to sneak a snack from the kitchen before going to bed.  But when he saw Hermione with Draco, of all the boys to wind up with, he suddenly lost his appetite.  He saw everything from when Malfoy was telling her the lies about how he felt about mudbloods and muggles to when he kissed her.  A sharp pain seared in his heart, like what happened to Harry's scar when they were in danger or Voldemort was near.  It kept getting stronger and ached throughout his whole body.

'Hermione,' he thought, feeling his eyes sting with tears, 'why? Why?'  So he wouldn't get caught, he quickly but quietly went to the Gryffindor tower.

"W-wow," she stammered, her heart beating as if it were about to burst, "I-I can't believe it.  Wow."

"So, don't you think I'm sincere _now_?" he asked, his chest heaving.

"Y-yeah," she wheezed.  "You're a good kisser, Draco.  You know that was my first kiss you just gave me?"

"I'm honored," he said.  "It was mine too."  But what he had just said was a lie.  He had kissed some of the most attractive girls in Slytherin the past 2 years at Hogwarts, more than just once.

"Then you must be a natural," she said, "because you seem to have had a lot of practice."

"We can practice if you'd like," he said, giving her a very sexy grin.

"Tempting, Draco," she said, "But I've really need to get to my house, in case someone sees us.  We could _both_ lose points."

"You're right," he said, "tomorrow then.  Goodnight."  He kissed her quickly on the lips and left her standing in awe.  A chill journeyed down her spine and she shivered vehemently, her arms around her.  Still surprised, she staggered to the fat lady's painting.

*****

"Well that was fast," said Harry when Ron came up.  He noticed no food with him.  "Ate it right in the kitchen?"

"No, uh, lost my appetite." He said.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh, oh, yeah.  Yeah."

"You look like you've seen a ghost," said Harry.

"Harry, come on," Ron said loudly, "the castle's full of ghosts."

"Just an expression.  So did Myrtle appear while you were eating or something?  Last year she was in the boys' bathroom while I was in the bath!"

"No, I didn't see Myrtle or any other ghost," he said to Harry and to himself, "I saw something _much_ worse than a ghost."  He crawled into his bed. He had lost Hermione to Draco, of all people.  He gave Hermione her first kiss.  He was hoping to give Hermione her first kiss, on the night of the Yule ball, but term had just started.  He and Hermione were at an end, and they didn't even get to begin.

'But why, Hermione?' he thought, the image of Hermione kissing that jerk repeating over and over in his mind. 'Why? Why?'

*****

"Password?"

"Oh--uh--" Hermione was so moved by Malfoy's gesture that she forgot the password.  "I know this one--come on--I know this--"

The fat lady looked at her skeptically.  Before Hermione had to rack her mind more, Ginny opened the portrait.

"Hey, what're you still doing up?" she asked, "You're supposed to be setting a good example for the lower classmen, y'know."

"Just now coming to bed," she said with a grin and entered. "Thanks for opening the door, Ginny."

"Uh, sure.  But you could've used the password."

"Forgotten it," she said, coming up the stairs.

"You forgot it?" Ginny demanded, "but how could you forget the password?  It's your cat!  See, there's Crookshanks right there!"

"Oh yeah, now I remember!" she said.  "Come here, Crookshanks!"

"Meowrrrr!" the cat seemed furious, as if it didn't recognize her.  

"Silly kitty, don't you recognize me?" she tried to pet him but he let out a hiss and scratched her hand.  "Ouch!  Crookshanks!"

The cat sped out of the girl's dormitory. "You stupid cat!" she yelled at him.  

"Hermione, are you all right?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," she groaned, "but I can't believe he scratched me.  Crookshanks, my own cat!"

"Don't worry, Scabbers bit Ron all the time," Said Ginny.

"Yeah, but Scabbers didn't turn out to be really a rat, did he?" Hermione snapped.

"Well--no."

*****

Crookshanks entered the boy's dormitory and jumped on Ron's bed.  "Aggh! Checkmate!"

"Hey, it's Crookshanks!" Harry said, "it's okay Ron, it's only Hermione's cat."

"I wonder what he's doing in here," Ron said as the cat walked up on his chest and began to make a bed with his claws.  "Ooh! Ow! Ouch!  Hey, go sleep on a rug or something!"

The cat laid down on its tummy and stared at Ron, as if he were trying to tell him something.  It purred lightly.

"Wow, this is funny," Ron said, scratching the orange-brown cat behind the ears, making him purr more, "Crookshanks never seemed to like me much.  What a nice cat and to think this cat tried to kill Scabbers---of course Scabbers was always useless and he wasn't really Scabbers in the first place.  Such a good kitty, aren't you?"

Ron was glad that Crookshanks came to see him, not because the cat was so smart or anything, but because it belonged to Hermione and he wanted at least some part of her to care for him, give him _some_ attention, some tenderness, something he believed Hermione would never give to him.  And the recent events surely proved that.

**Next Chapter:  Buy Me Love**


	3. Buy Me Love

**Make Some Real Magic 3**

**Buy Me Love**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.  My hero, J.K Rowling does!**

**Note: Thanks to Gary to pointing some things out to me.**

Hermione tried to fight it; tried to forget it, but all the while, she started to become more interested in Draco Malfoy.   He sometimes sent her gifts and notes.  She got used to him being her partner in potions but she hoped Ron and Harry didn't notice.  They did, but only because they thought she didn't want to upset the class or Snape.

Then September 19th, Hermione Granger's 15th birthday, came around. She woke up hearing Hedwig, Harry's owl, tapping at the window.  

"Hermione, you have a letter," Parvati said, opening the window. She recognized Hedwig and scratched the owl in the middle of her head and took the envelope. "Hey, it's from Harry!"  She dropped it on Hermione's bed and she sat up.  "Probably a love note!"  She and Lavender laughed.

"It's my birthday," Hermione groaned, opening the card.  It was a short little sweet happy birthday message.  She smiled grimly, "that's all."

"Hey, I'd be happy for at least a card from Harry."  Lavender said.

"Hi Hermione," Ginny said, "happy birthday!"

"Yeah, thanks," she said, crawling out of her bed.  

"I made this for you," she handed her a handmade card.  "Made it myself!"

'I noticed,' Hermione thought grimly.  She had received 2 cards just to wish happy birthday.  It was thoughtful, but she thought she deserved more.  Did her friends think they were too good to give her something more for her birthday?  

Hermione dressed and met Harry and Ron in the common room. Ginny, Lavender, Pavarti and some of the other Gryffindor girls came down with her.  There were some students already in the common room.  
 "Happy Birthday, Hermione!" Harry shouted, "Did you get--"

"Yes, I did," she said quickly. "Thank you."  She looked at Ron, wondering where her present.  Then she realized she didn't have to wonder long.  Ron didn't have enough money to get her a decent enough present.  But then she was surprised when he pulled out something wrapped in paper.  

"Here, Hermione," he said with a smile.  "This is for you."

"Thank you Ron," she pulled the paper off and found an empty inkbottle.  "Uh, thank you, Ron.  I think."

"Why is it empty?" Parvati asked.

"It's invisible ink!" he exclaimed.  "You can write something with the invisible ink and then you use ordinary ink to see the message.  Here--uh," he looked around the common room.  A Gryffindor student he didn't recognize was doing his homework. "Can I borrow that quill and ink for a second?"

"Sure."

"I'll write my name," he instructed.  Ron dipped the quill inside the invisible inkbottle and then used the paper that was wrapped around Hermione's present.  He wrote out his name with the invisible ink and used the real ink. What he really wanted to do was write a love letter to Hermione and ask her to the Yule ball--but he knew it was too late for that. He scribbled where he just wrote his message, but he didn't see his name.  "Wait a second here…" he kept scribbling, "why won't my name show up!"

"Uh, Ron," said Ginny, "did you get this invisible ink from Fred and George?"

"Yes, why?" he asked.

She laughed, "Well, there's your explanation!  They told you it was real invisible ink and _you_ _believed them_?"

Ron groaned, "When I see them--" he shook his head an looked at Hermione, "I'm so sorry, Hermione."

"Don't worry about it, Ron," she said.

Ginny rubbed her head, "honestly, why do all my brothers have to be complete idiots?"

"Ginny!" Ron yelled.

The room erupted with laughter.

****

"I hear today's your birthday," Draco whispered to Hermione in potions.  

"How?" she asked, "I didn't tell you."

Draco grinned, "I have my ways."

Hermione blushed.  That was enough.

"I have a present for you," said Draco.

"Oh, Draco, you don--"

"It's your birthday, isn't it?" he asked, "I wanted to get you a gift.  But it's too big for an owl to send it.  Why don't you come to the Slytherin house so I can give it to you?"

"But Draco, I'm not aloud there!" she muttered, trying to get the ingredients for the potion in order.  

"No one will know," he said.  "Come on, it's your birthday."

"What is Draco whispering to Hermione about?" Ron demanded to Harry.

"I'm not sure," Harry said, "but I've got the feeling it has nothing to do about the experiment."

"Draco's up to something," said Ron.  "We should--"

"Potter! Weasley!" Snape shouted, "stop talking!"

"We were talking about the experiment," Ron said quickly.

"I doubt that," Snape said.  "Ten points from Gryffindor!"

Hermione was so into her conversation with Draco that she didn't even notice Snape take away points from her house.

"It's risky," Hermione whispered to him.  "What if Filch of Mrs--"

"No one will know," he said firmly. "Have you noticed what kind of potion we're making today?"

"Invisibility," she said.

"Exactly.  You won't have to worry about asking Potter for his invisibility cloak." He explained.  "And don't worry about my Slytherin housemates.  They're going to sleep heavy tonight."

"Huh?"

He opened the potions book to unit of different sleeping potions.  "Nobody will know."

"You're brilliant," Hermione said, taken back.  

"Not as brilliant as you," he said.  "Meet me right outside the dungeon and I'll lead you to the Slytherin at midnight."  He gave her an alluring look.  "I'll be waiting."

*****

Hermione waited until all her classmates were asleep.  She tiptoed to the stairs and drank half of the potion then stuck it underneath her robes for later.  Her insides felt light--her head--her whole body.  She looked at her hands and notice them disappear from sight.  Only the lining of them remained.  Even though she was invisible, she walked with caution until she got to the dungeons.  

Malfoy was waiting for her.  She walked up five feet in front of him and drank half of the potion to make her visible again.

"Welcome to Slytherin Dungeon," said Draco.  He lent her his arm and helped her through the trapdoor.  "Careful," he warned.

When they got inside, Hermione shivered, "it's so cold here.  How can you stand it?"

Draco grinned as he handed her a nicely wrapped package.  "I think there's something in her to keep you warm."

Hermione pulled off the ribbon and unwrapped the package carefully.  "Oh, Draco," she sighed.  "It's so--" she pulled out an expensive-looking green velvet cloak with fur around the hood and an emerald button.  "It's beautiful!"

"It goes with this," he said and handed her broom wrapped in paper.

"A broomstick?" she asked.

"Go on," he said, more excited than she was, "open it."

She took off the ropes holding the paper together.  The broom had a silver tip on it and it had her name engraved on it in silver.

"It has my name on it!" she gasped.

"Now you can prove to everyone that it's yours," he explained.  "It's a Silver Head.  They're really new."

"Here, try the cloak on," he said, taking the cloak and putting it around her.  "It's perfect for you, Hermione.  Let's give your new broom a try too."

"But it's nearly midnight," she said.  "We could lose points; be expelled."

Draco got really close to her, slow close, she could smell his sweat, or cologne, or whatever that scent lingering on him that smelt so divine.  This made her eyes heavy, her lips part. 

"Not if you don't get caught," he huskily.  "Besides, it is your birthday."

She smiled, "I see you've done this before."

"Trust me," he said, "we won't get caught.  Filch's not the _only_ person in Hogwarts that knows all the secret passages."  He outlined her face with a finger.  It made her shiver. "A moonlight flight sounds like fun, don't you think?"

Hermione swallowed hard.  Her heart began to beat faster, her breathing increased.

"Just you and me, Hermione," he murmured, "flying together in the middle of the night, under the light of the moon.  Come on, Granger.  I'm not taking no for an answer. There's something out there I want you to see.  It's incredible.  It's just a ride. When was the last time you had some real fun?"

She stood without answer.  Draco Malfoy.  He was just so…so bad.  He broke more rules and poked fun at others than any other Slytherin at school.  Sneaking around at night was something she certainly wouldn't do.  But for some reason, it seemed so exciting.  Her first years at Hogwarts were kind of boring.  She suddenly felt tired of playing 'Miss Good Li'l 2 Shoes' and spend all her free time studying and being a 'good girl.'  She had to do something crazy and fun right now or her years will go by just as boring as they always had been.  Now all that was going to change.  Hermione was going to expand her horizons and do things that she wouldn't do.  All she needed was a little push, some lessons and Draco was just the teacher to show her what it's like to 'live on the edge.'  Now was her chance to live a little.  Okay, so maybe Draco Malfoy was the creep he was, but he was just so sexy and charming…Hermione couldn't help herself.

"I'd love to, Draco," she said.

"Then let's fly," he said, picking up his own broom.

*****

Draco was right about knowing all the secret passageways.  They got lucky with being able to get outside without being noticed.  Then they ran into Peeves.

"Oh no," Hermione moaned.

"Let me handle this," Draco said. "Today is my friend's birthday?"

"Is that right?" Peeves demanded, trying to sound high and mighty.

"We're just going outside for a little ride.  I've talked to the Bloody Baron," he explained.  "He said I could go.  You wouldn't' want to make him angry, would you?"

Peeves suddenly looked uncomfortable.  Even the mention of the Bloody Baron's name unnerved him.  "Oh, he said it was all right?  All right, all right.  Anything that's all right with the Baron, is all right with me."  He winked at them, "Have fun, you two."

Hermione was astounded.  'Being a Slytherin does have its advantages,' she thought.

"Come on, Hermione," Draco said making the glass window disappear.  "Let's go."  They flew through the open space and it appeared as soon as they were out.

"Draco, you're amazing!" she exclaimed.  

"It's not hard," he said, "you just have to mention the Bloody Baron and he'll do anything for you."

"This is a fast broom," Hermione said.  "Faster than a Firebolt?"

"Not exactly," he said, "but the cool thing is that the broom does more than just fly.  You can go through walls and destroy things with it.  Like a wand."  He nodded to the silver tip of her new broomstick, "that's what the silver tip is for."

"Amazing," she said.

"There's something I want to--"

"Let's have a race!" Hermione said suddenly.

"But--"

"Come and catch me if you can!" she laughed and zoomed away from him.

"Hey!" he shouted after her. He groaned and went after her.  "Hermione!"

"Come on, Malfoy," she teased over her shoulder, "is that the best you can do?"  

"Wait a second!  There's something I want to show you!"

"You can show me later!"  She cried, "This is fun!"

Malfoy went on after her, but not because he felt like playing.   Then seconds later as he was chasing Hermione, he forgot the reason why he asked her to come outside with him in the first place.  Soon he started to laugh and all he wanted to do was just fly around the dark sky with her. After around thirty minute of flying around he flew beside her, grabbed her broomstick and they crash landed on the ground.  She got up, pushed him back and ran off.

"Hermione!" Draco yelled playfully, "you can run and ride but you can't hide!"  

"Oooh, I've been a bad girl, haven't I, Draco?" she questioned.  "I'd better not let you catch me!"

Draco stood up and once again took chase, this time on foot.  This was even more exciting than chasing her in the air.  It was almost as though their hearts beat as one.  Everything seemed to move in slow motion.  Neither of them wanted the night to end.  They ran around, close to the forbidden forest but neither of them seemed to care at the moment.  

Hermione looked over her shoulder to see how far away Draco was behind her--not far.  She giggled and looked ahead but didn't quicken or slow her pace.  He was going to get to her eventually.  She could hear his hurried footsteps, his heavy breathing.  

"Gotcha!" he yelled.  

"Oh!"

She felt his arms locate around her waist and pull her to the ground.  He turned her so her back was on the grass and she was looking up at him. They didn't speak.  Their chests heaved with deep breaths as they stared at each other.

"Well, you've finally caught me, Draco," she said finally.  She smiled, "so, what was it you wanted to show me?"

Draco grinned and laughed, as if what he was about to say would sound incredibly absurd.  "You know, I don't even remember.  It probably wasn't very important.  I can show you later."

"We're pretty close to the forbidden forest," she said.  "There's werewolves and things out here, you know.  Remember 1st year?"

"Yeah," he said. "But don't worry.  We're safe tonight."  He nodded to the sky, "the moon's not full."

She took a full, deep breath.  "Beautiful.  This is the best birthday I ever had. Thanks, Draco."

"You're welcome," he said, admiring the way her hair glinted under the moonlight.  "Happy Birthday, Hermione."  He moved closer to her, one hand cupping her face and the other pressing against her back.  "Hermione…" he kissed her as they lay down together on the grass.  She reached her arms around him.

"Draco…" she kissed him fully on the lips.  "I can't believe…"

"Shh," he silenced her with another kiss, deeper.  

Her hand traveled up his back to his neck and blond hair. She just wanted to kiss Draco all night.  

"Do you have the feeling we're being watched?" she asked suddenly.

"Watched?"

She nodded.

"No," and he continued to kiss her.

But they were being watched.  There were soft footsteps just a few feet away from them and a low growl.

"What was that?" Draco demanded, jumping up.

"Maybe we should be getting back now, Draco," she said, trying to hide her fear.  "I think getting expelled is better than becoming some creature's dinner."

"Yeah, I agree."  He wrapped his arm around her.  "I'll fly with you to your window."

The creature that saw them peaked through some bushes.  It was the snout of a dog.

"Goodnight, Draco," Hermione said as they reached the window.  "I had a great time."

"Yeah, me too," he kissed her and flew to a window at the lowest floor.  

Hermione smiled as she went inside.  Everyone was fast asleep.  She took off her cloak and folded it neatly with her new broom at the bottom her trunk.  Then she put on her pajamas and crawled into bed.  Pulling the covers up to her chin, she realized that she was a new girl now.  And it felt so good.  But what she didn't know was that there was someone that knew her secret.

**Ooh, can you guess who the someone is?  **

**Next Chapter: Win Me Over**


	4. Win Me Over

**Make Some Real Magic 4**

**Win Me Over**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

The day of the Yule ball was coming up.  Though every cell in his body wanted him to, Ron could not ask Hermione to the ball.  It wasn't because he was nervous or thought she'd say no.  He knew she would say no and was certain she was going with Draco Malfoy instead.  Ron couldn't care less if he never got around to getting a date.  He sat down on the sofa, stroking Crookshanks behind the ears.  At least Crookshanks was giving him attention.  He wondered why Crookshanks was spending more time with Ron than his owner.  Maybe Crookshanks didn't like her attitude toward everybody anymore than anyone else in the Gryffindor Tower.

"Hi, Ron," Harry said as he passed him in the common room.  "Who are you asking to the Yule ball?"

Ron rolled his eyes up to Harry, scowling.  "Oh please."

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Do you have to ask?" Ron demanded.

Harry sat down.  "It was only a question."

"I'm not asking anyone to the Yule ball," Ron groaned.  "I'm not going."

"We have to ask someone," Harry said.  "What happened, did you ask a girl and she said no?"

He shook his head.  "I just don't feel like going."

"Why not?"

"I just don't, all right!" he yelled.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "does this have anything to do with Hermione?"

Ron didn't respond.  Harry knew he was right.  

"You can ask her now," Harry said.  "Krum's away."

"It's too late," Ron groaned.  "I'm sure someone else has already asked her."

"Who?"

"Come on Harry," Ron muttered, "don't make me say it.  You know I'm talking about."

"You can't expect Hermione to go to the Yule ball with Malfoy!"  Harry said.  "She's just…too smart to go with the likes of him!  She just wouldn't!"

"Harry, you've seen the way he acts around her in Potions," Ron said.  "I think she likes it."

"She's probably just tired of fighting him," Harry insisted. "Don't bring too much into it.  If Hermione is as smart as she used to be, and she is, there's no way she'd go with Draco Malfoy!"

Lavender and Parvarti burst through the room, gasping.  

"Hi," Harry said, "what's up?  What did Peeves do this time?"

"Haven't you guys heard?" Parvarti wheezed.

"Heard what?"

Lavender swallowed, "You won't believe it."

"What--what?" 

"Hermione Granger is going to the Yule ball with Draco Malfoy!" they shouted in unison.

Harry's mouth dropped open.  "No way!"

Ron didn't seemed as surprised, "you were saying, Harry?"

******

Hermione walked outside, wearing the cloak Draco had given her for her birthday.  Draco was talking to Goyle and Crabbe about something.  Must've been a secret about Hermione because every time she looked at him, he put his finger to his lips and waved at her to leave.  

'He's probably planning something for the Yule ball and he'll get Vincent and Gregory to help him.' She thought with a smirk.  'I'd better leave him alone and I'll get it out of him later.'  She waved at him and continued to walk farther away.

"You're taking that Mudblood?" Goyle demanded.

"What's wrong with you?" Crabbe added with a sneer.  "Have you lost your mind?"

"You haven't really fallen for you, have you?"

"No," Malfoy said.

"Oh, so this is like a part of a setup or something?" 

Malfoy nodded, "I'll pay each of you ten Galleons to be nice to her."

They exchanged glances and grinned, "You're serious," Crabbe muttered.

"I am serious," Malfoy said coolly.  "If you dare insult her then you'll get nothing."

"What about Pansy?" Crabbe questioned.

"What about her?"

"You'll know how she'll react when she finds out you're taking Mu--" his voice stopped at Malfoy's glare," Grang--um--_Hermione_ to the ball."

"I'll talk to Pansy," Draco said.  "And the rest of Slytherin."

"You'll pay them too?" Goyle questioned. 

"If I have to," Draco admitted.  "I'll get them to treat Hermione like she's one of us.  A Slytherin."

Crabbe chuckled dully, "heh-heh, you're brilliant, Malfoy--heh-heh."

"Yeah," Goyle added, "we'll have fun with this."

"Good," Draco said, "I'm going to the dungeon to talk to Pansy." He groaned.  "This won't be easy."

"I'll take her to the ball, Malfoy," Crabbe volunteered.  

"Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

Draco grinned, "Thanks. When Hermione comes back, I want you to act like, well, gentlemen."

"No problem," Crabbe said.

*****

Hermione wandered off more than she intended.  Maybe she hoped Draco would come looking for her so she kept trekking onward.  She took a look back at the school to see how far away it was.  Then she felt a strong jerk on her cloak.  "Wha?"

Thinking she had just got it caught on a bush, she looked over her shoulder and saw a black dog pulling on her cloak, but not in a playful manner.  He was intending to rip it off.

"Hey, let go!" she muttered.

But the dog did rip it right off her and the emerald button fell off and the clasp broke.  As soon it was off her, the dog turned and ran.

"Hey, bring that back!" Hermione shouted, picking up the fallen emerald button.  "You mutt!  Give that back here!" but the dog did not listen.  It kept running and she had to run after him.  "Bad, bad dog!" She wished she had her wand with her so she could put the body bind curse on him but she had left in her room.  She didn't plan on having her cloak being taken away from some dog.  She finally reached up to the dog.  It sat in front of a large tree, waiting for her with the cloak in its mouth.

"Give--" she panted, "give me back my cloak!  Before you ruin it anymore!"

He dropped the cloak, growling.  The dog's snout started to pull in and its paws turned into a man's hands and feet.  It's tail shortened.

"Huh?"

The dog turned into a man.  The man straitened up to his feet and she recognized him.

"Sirus?" she whispered.  "Is that you?" Her face went red, remembering she called him names. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. If you wanted to play, all you had to do was ask."

"What are you doing, Hermione?" he questioned, his voice hoarse.

"What?  Hey, I said I was sorry!"

"You're too smart for this," Sirus said.  "You can't go with him to the Yule ball."

"You mean Draco?"

"Of course, Draco," Sirus muttered.  "He's setting you up for a trap.  A brilliant girl like you should've known that."

"You lie!" she accused.  "You're lying!"

"He's just setting you up for embarrassment," Sirus said.  "He's turning you against your friends."

"I don't think this is any of your business anyway!" she snarled.

"I'm Harry's godfather; of course it's my business," he said.  

"How did you know about us?" she demanded.  "Did you talk to Ron and Harry?  Did they go squealing to you?"

"No," he replied, "I saw you with him."

"You…saw us?"

"Back in September," he explained, "your birthday.  I saw you two after curfew, together."

"So it was _you_ that made that noise we heard!" she gasped.  "And we thought it was a werewolf or something!"

"I had to do something," he admitted, "If I didn't, well, I don't want to even think what would've happened."

"Don't bring too much into it," Hermione said.  

"I should tell Harry and Ron about this," Sirus said, folding his arms.  "I've seen you two after curfew many times."

"No, don't!" she shouted, "don't you dare!"

"But I won't," he said, unfolding them.

"You…won't?"

"I think it's you who should tell them," Sirus said.  "It's your place to tell them the truth about sneaking around with the likes of Draco Malfoy.  I hope this doesn't last too long.  You're going to lose your friends because of this."

"Give me back my cloak," she commanded, "I'm cold.  And you didn't have to ruin my cloak to get my attention!"

Sirus cocked an eyebrow, "It's not ruined.  And if I had called you over, would you have listened to me?"

"Well, yeah," she muttered.  

Sirus grunted and tossed her cloak to her.  "They're turning you into a Slytherin, Hermione."

"They are not!" she hissed.

"Really?" he questioned, "look at the cloak.  What color is it?"

"Green.  So?"

"It's from Draco.  You'd think he'd give you a cloak with your house color?"

"Oh please, he may just like the color!" she shouted.

Sirus shook his head and groaned.  He realized he couldn't get through to her.  "I'd better not find you after curfew for another midnight flight under the stars or I will go to Dumbledore with this."  He changed back to a dog and trotted away.

But Hermione wasn't finished, "Well, I'm happy the way I am now so there!" she shouted.  "Maybe I belon gin the Slytherin house and I don't care what you or any one else thinks!"  

Grumbling, her torn present from her beloved Draco in hand, she trekked back to the school, where Crabbe and Goyle were waiting for her.

"Hi, Hermione," Crabbe said, smiling as though it hurt his face.  "Say, is there something wrong?"

"My cloak," she muttered, "it's ruined."

Goyle looked at it. "Oh, no worries.  It can be fixed."

"Really?" she gasped.  'I don't believe it, first Draco and now Crabbe and Goyle?  They would never be this nice to be before!  This is wonderful!'

"Sure, Hermione," Goyle said, "We're attending a magic school, right?"

"Oh, yeah."  She blushed.  "Um, where's Draco?"

Goyle and Crabbe exchanged nervous glances.  "Well, um, er, you see, he's um, ah--" they stammered, trying to search for something to say.

"He's working on some project," Goyle blurted.

"Project?" Hermione whispered.

"Uh, yeah, top secret," Crabbe said, nodding.  

"Oh," she grinned.  "I see.  Must be very important."

"Uh, yeah, uh-huh."

"Let's go get this fixed," Goyle said, taking the cloak in his left arm.  "Did Draco get it for you?"

"Sure did."

"Here," Crabbe said, offering her left arm. "It's slippery over here."

"Yeah," Goyle said, offering her his free, right arm to her.  "Wouldn't' want to slip, would we?"

Hermione smiled and slipped her arms though Crabbe and Goyle's.  It was just too much.  Goyle and Crabbe exchanged looks, as if to say, 'I could get used to this.'

Herimone thanked them for their help and they laughed, atcing too friendly.  Students watched on in surprise.

"Hey, is that Hermione Granger, with Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle?" 

"But arent' they from Slytherin and she's from Gryffindor?"

"Hermione's muggleborn, why are they being nice to her?"

They passed Ginny who was walking with another girl in her class.

"Hermione?" Ginny whispered.

"Oh, hi Ginny," Hermione said half-politely and left with Crabbe and Goyle.

'I've got to tell Ron about this!' Ginny thought and ran to Gryffindor tower.

*****

"You've what?" Pansy Parkinson cried, "you gave that mudblood a new cloak and broom but you got me nothing?"

"Shh, shh!" Draco hushed.  They were talking to each other in the Slytherin Dungeon.  "Shh!"

"After all I've done for you!" Pansy snarled.  "What has she ever done for you?"

"Pansy, be quiet!" he commanded.  "Listen, you don't actually think I really like her, do you?"

"What do you expect me to think?" Pansy demanded.

"I want to make turn someone from another house into a Slytherin," he said.

"Well, fine, but why _her_?"

He shrugged, "thought it'd be more challenging.  It's just for some fun.  It's only a game, Pansy."

"Just a game?" 

"Uh-huhnn." He said with a nod.  "Now, I want you to be nice to her."

"You can't expect me to be nice to her!" she shouted.

"I'm paying Crabbe and Goyle 10 Galleons to be nice to her," he said.  "I'll give you--"

"I don't want your money," she muttered.  "I want _you!_" she threw her arms around him.  "She doesn't like you like I do, Draco!  I'll do anything for you!"

Draco groaned.  He couldn't stand being near Pansy Parkinson.  It was nice to have a girl that likes you, but she liked him too much than he wanted her to.  Pansy Parkinson absolutely was not his type.  He pushed her away from him.  "Fine, I'll buy you a fancy necklace."

"No--I want a date!" she cried.  "Let's go to the Yule Ball together, just like last year!"

"No, I'm taking Hermione," he said.

"Wha--at?  Her?"

"Vincent will take you to the ball," Draco explained.

"C-Crabbe?"

"Yes."

"But--it's not the same!  I want to go with you!" she began to wail.

"Hush!" he muttered, putting his hand over her mouth.  "You're going with Crabbe, understand?"

"Fine," she groaned.  "But you'd better make this up to me, Malfoy."

"Sure, I'll take you to the Leaky Cauldron and buy you a couple of Butterbeers."

"That's all?" she asked, frowning.

"What else did you have in mind?" he demanded.

"Can't we go dancing, do something romantic?" 

He made a disgusted face, almost told her no but sighed.  "Oh, okay.  I'll see what I can do.  Just treat Hermione like she's one of us."

"I'll do more than that, Dracokins!" she said, laying her hands on his chest, "I'll _turn_ her into one of us!  You see!  That's what you wanted, right?  I'll even volunteer to get her ready for the ball.  I'll do her hair and nails and everything while we talk about how romantic the night is going to be!  I'll do anything for you, Draco!  You just keep your promise!" She squeezed him in a tight hug.  "I'll _mold_ her into my own form!"

Draco felt his stomach turn.  Not another Pansy Parkinson following him around.  He liked Hermione the way she was, though a Slytherin look would make her more beautiful.  "Ughn, you don't really have to do that."  He said, pushing her away.

"Anything for my baby," she said.  "What my sweetie wants, my baby gets."

"Good," he said, "but please don't' call me that when Hermione is around.  Clear?"

"Crystal!" she cried.  

*****

"Ron!  Ron!" Ginny cried, running all over the halls for her brother.  "Ron!"  She spotted Harry with Neville.  She frowned, where was Ron if he wasn't with his best friends?  "Harry, Neville!"

"Hi, Ginny, what's your hurry?" Harry asked.

"Something wrong?" Neville asked.

"Where's Ron?" she demanded, "It's important!"

"He's in the common room when I saw him last," Harry replied with a frown.  "He just…sits there and never leaves."

"Except to go to classes," Neville said.  "I wonder if he's sick."

"Thanks," Ginny said and ran to the tower.  Sure enough, there was Ron, seated on the sofa petting Crookshanks.  "Ron, I just saw Hermione arm in arm with Crabbe and Goyle!"

"So?" he demanded hotly.

"Well, she used to be arm in arm with you and Harry!" she shrieked.

He cocked an eyebrow, "No she hasn't.  We were never that close."

"Okay, maybe not," she admitted, "but you three are best friends!  And now she's chumming up to Crabbe and Goyle and--"

"Draco Malfoy."

"Huh?"

"She's going to the Yule Ball with Draco Malfoy," he said.

"Is she crazy?"

"Must be."

"But--but you wanted to go with her!" Ginny yelled.  "all summer long you talked about your date with Hermione, remember?"

"Well, it's not going to happen."

"Ron, you're not even trying," Ginny said with a frown.  "What happened?"

"Forget it," he muttered.  "it doesn't matter.  Seems like she's more interested in money than anything else."

"But you love her, Ron!" Ginny snapped.

"That's not true," Ron groaned, rolling his eyes.

"It is too," Ginny said, sitting next to him.  "All you could talk about all summer long was Hermione Granger.  You talk about her when you're awake and I hear you calling for her in your sleep!"

"I do not talk in my sleep!" he grunted.

"Oh, yes you do!" she muttered, "you can ask Fred and George!  We all know how you feel about Hermione but you're too pigheaded to admit it!  I know how jealous you were when she went with Victor Krum!  You loved her even then!  If you had told her that then she wouldn't be going to the Yule Ball with Malfoy!  We all know how rich he is but there is something that you could give to her that Malfoy can't!"

"And what's that?" he demanded with a sneer.

"Your heart, Ron!"

"That's enough!" Ron shouted, standing up so fast that he got a little dizzy.  Crookshanks jumped off him and meowed almost concernedly.  "I've heard enough of my so-called feelings for Hermione!"

"Admit it, Ron, you love her!" she cried, "you might still have a chance!  Go find her and tell her!  You're acting as if you don't even care she's going with Draco."

"I don't!"

"But you do, you're too bitter and stubborn to admit it!"  She hissed.  "You love Hermione Granger; you always have!  You're bitter because you feel like you've failed."

"Good guess."

"You can't let her get any closer to Draco," she said, trying to calm her voice.  She stood up.  "Come on, Ron, don't let him win.  This exactly what he wants.  If you love her, and I know you do, you'll go and--"

"For the last time, Ginny, I am not in love with Hermione Granger!"  He screamed, now turning heads of his fellow classmates.  Harry and Neville, who heard the arguing, came through the painting.  They looked surprised.  "And she doesn't need me to be her knight in shining armor to save her anyway!  If she wants to go with Draco Malfoy, then that's her choice!"  He turned on the ball of his foot and ran up to the boy's dorm, with Crookshanks at his feet.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

Ginny sighed and turned around.  "It's like he doesn't even care, but I know he does.  He's just too hurt and bitter to admit it."

_Next Chapter:  A Counseling Session_


	5. A Counseling Session

**Make Some Real Magic 5**

**A Counseling Session**

I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form.

The Yule Ball was going to be tomorrow and Ron was still dateless.  Harry was taking Ginny, his best friend's sister.  Both Ginny and Harry tried to make Ron to get with the program and ask someone, but all he did was stay on his bed and pet Crookshanks--Ginny mostly.

"He's going to embarrass me!" Ginny had told almost everyone.  

Harry had had it.  He was sick of his best friend wallowing in a pit of self-pity.  It was just so unlike Ron.  He was losing his sense of humor and it was making Harry go crazy.  Ron was in a whole and he was dragging Harry along with him.  But Harry would not stand for it--it was just so pathetic to watch Ron, a guy so funny and free loving, to look so, so, depressed.  

"Ron!" Harry shouted, "you're wasting' the day!  There are still some available girls out there.  Come on and let's go find you one."

"Huh-uh," Ron muttered, shaking his head.  "I don't want to see Hermione with that--that--jerk!"

"I still don't believe Hermione's going with him," Harry said proudly. "She just wouldn't do that!  Now come on.  " He tried to pull Ron out of bed, but it was hard since he was taller than he was.  "Now…come on!"  Crookshanks jumped from the bed and looked at Harry suspiciously.

"No!  I'm not going anywhere!" Ron posted.  

"Come on, Ron," Harry grunted.

"Let me go!"

"No, Ron!"

"Who do you think you are?" Ron demanded.

"I'm your best friend, that's who!" Harry retorted.  "Don't do this to yourself Ron!"  Harry struggled to pull Ron out of bed but it was like a dead weight.  

"Just leave me alone, Harry!" Ron shouted.

"Ron, don't do this to yourself!" Harry ordered.  

"What do you care anyway?"  Then they began to grapple and wrestle around the floor.  "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Stop it Ron!  You're acting as if someone died!"

"Ow!"

"Quit it!"

"Let go of my arm!"

"It won't kill you to get out once in a while!"  Harry ordered, "Try living in a cupboard under the stairs filled with spiders for eleven years and never getting a chance to get some fresh air when you feel like it!"

"Harry!  You know I hate spiders!"  Ron growled. "And that I'm a pathetic poor boy so leave me alone!"

"I'm not leaving from this spot until you come down!" Harry shouted.

"Well you'll have a long wait 'cause I'm not leaving!"  He knocked Harry's glosses off and rolled around like a couple of idiots.  In an effort to break them up, Crookshanks took a few swipes at them, but it did no good.

They wrestled around for about ten minutes until the noise of their fight brought company.  Neville, Dean, Seamus and some other 5th year boys ran up the boy dorm to break up the fight.

"What's going on here?" Dean demanded.

"Just cool it!" Seamus muttered.  They teamed to pull Ron and Harry apart and stood in silence as Ron and Harry got their breath, glaring at each other.

"Could someone please tell me why you're fighting?" Dean demanded.

"Yeah, you guys are supposed to be best friends," Neville reminded softly.

"Shut up, Neville!" Ron snapped.  

"Is he upset because he doesn't have a date?" Dean questioned.  "You can still ask someone, Ron.  The dance isn't for another three days."

"That's not what we're fighting about!" Ron shouted.

"Then why?" 

"Because--because--because Harry here can't mind his own business!"

"Hey, I'm not going to watch you sit here moping for the rest of term!" Harry yelled.  "Come on, Ron, wake up!  You're falling apart!"

"He's right, you know," Neville agreed.

"Oh, be quiet!" Ron sneered. "You don't' have a date either and don't try asking my sister again!  She's going with Harry!"

"I-I-I knew that," Neville stammered.  

"You are really falling apart," Dean said.  "Maybe you should go and see Professor Trelawny."

"What for?" Ron demanded.  "I'm not in the mood to have my fortune told."

"Maybe she'll be able to figure this out," Dean suggested.

"Come on, Dean," Ron groaned, "she's the divination professor--not the school counselor!"

"Close enough since we haven't one," Harry said.  "Let's go, Ron."

{AN: Um, does Hogwarts even have a school counselor?}

"I'm _not_ going," Ron said defiantly.

Harry sighed.  There was jut no getting through to him.

"Then you leave us no choice," Dean said.  "If you won't go willingly then I'm afraid we'll have to drag you there."

"Huh, what?" he mumbled.

Each boy grabbed Ron by the arms and lifted him up.  It took quit a bit of boys because Ron was almost 6 foot.  "Hey, put me down!  This is embarrassing!"

They carried Ron down the stairs just as Ginny made her way to the girls' dorm.  She gasped in horror when she saw what they were doing to him.  

"Ginny!" Ron shouted.  "Help me!"

"Just what do you think you are doing to my brother?" she demanded, "He feels bad enough without having his head shoved down a toilet and getting a swirly!"

"It's not that, Ginny," Harry explained, "We're taking him to see Professor Trelawny."

"Why?"

"We don't know what else to do to make him leave the dorm," Dean replied.  "And Trelawny could probably Ron with his depression.  He needs to talk to someone."

"Oh," Ginny said with a sigh.  "I think that's a great idea!  Carry on!"

"Ginny, no!" Ron gasped.  "Don't let them do this to your brother!  I don't need Trelawny to read my palm!  I don't need you!  I don't need anybody!"

"You'll feel much better after your visit with Trelawny," Ginny insisted and kissed her brother's forehead.  "Tell me how it went, all right?"  She looked at the guys, "now make sure he doesn't run away!"

"Oh, we won't!" they said in unison and continued to carry Ron away.

"Gin, please!" Ron cried, "Haven't I been a good brother?  Don't let them do this to me!" Now Ron had tears in his eyes as he begged Ginny to reconsider.  "Ginny!  Ginny!  GIII-HIN-HINN-NNYY!"

"Bye-bye Ron," she said, bending her fingers at the knuckles in a cute, sisterly wave.  "Everything will be better after your visit with the professor.  Bye-bye!  Bye-bye!"

*****

After they got out of the Gryffindor tower, Ron demanded them to put him down.

"You can put me down now!" Ron said.  "I won't run away."

"Promise?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I can walk ya know," Ron said.  "I don't want the whole school to see this!"

"Yeah, let's put him down," Neville said.  "He feels bad enough.  Let's not embarrass him to death."

"Thanks, Neville!  Thank you, thank you!"

They put him down, but still kept a hold on him in case he did run off.  Halfway over to Trewlawny's office, they saw a very, very disturbing sight.  Draco was kissing Hermione.  All Harry, Ron, Neville and the other Gryffindor boys could do was stop and stare.  A few other heads turned and watched them in shock.  A new student from Ravenclaw walked up to them. 

"Isn't that Draco Malfoy kissing Hermione Granger?" she asked.

"Yes," Neville replied.

"But--isn't Hermione muggle-born?"

"That's right," Dean said.

"And Draco hates muggles and muggle-born witches and wizards?"

"Mm-hmm," Thomas hummed.

"But…why would he be kissing her?" she asked.  "Don't you think that's, well, strange?"

They all nodded, except for Ron, who seemed not to be even touched by the site.  He didn't seem to care at all, though his heart felt like it was being drilled away.

"Well, anything can happen in a magic school," he said blankly.

"Yeah--guess you're right," and the girl passed them, taking a few looks back.  

"How long has he been kissing her?" Neville asked, "I wonder if they ever stopped for air!"

"They're going to get us in trouble!" Dean gasped.  "We'll lose points--the house cup!"

"Slytherin will lose too," Ron mumbled.

Harry, however, refused to believe his eyes and stayed positive.  "That's not Hermione!" he protested, "Hermione just wouldn't do that!"

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Ron questioned, "don't you see what's happening right before our eyes?"

Now Draco and Hermione stopped kissing and began talking in cute-couple-talk.  

"You're so cute--" Draco began.

"Oh, lord, they're talking like the way my parents talk to each other!" Dean groaned.  "I think I'm going to be sick!"

"It's really Draco and Pansy.  They're playing a trick on us," Harry said, as if he were about to lose his mind to try and make sense of it, "that's right.  Pansy somehow got a hold of one of Hermione's hair and made a polyjuice potion.  They're messing with us.  I bet Hermione's in the library right now."

"You think so, Harry?" Neville asked hopefully.

"Oh, Harry, don't be stupid," Ron groaned.  "Pansy's not that smart."

"Draco is," Harry said, "and she'll go along with anything he says.  Come on to the library.  I'll prove to you that this is all just a trick!"

They went to the library.  "She'll be in her usual spot reading--" Harry said as they approached the library.  "And here she--" he pointed at the seat she would always, where Ron and Harry were always able to find her, but the seat was empty.  "Hermione?"

"Oh, yeah, Harry," Ron said, rolling her eyes.  "Hermione's in the library reading.  We saw what really happened."

"Okay, well, maybe she's not here in the library," Harry said.  "Perhaps she's helping a teacher with something or studying in the dorm.  No way would the real Hermione Granger be kissing the one guy who hates her more than anyone in the whole school!  It's just impossible!"

"SHHH!" everyone hushed, "you're in a library!"

"S-sorry," he stammered as he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Um, Harry," Neville said, patting his back, "M-maybe you should talk to Professor Trelawny too."

"No, I'm all right, Neville," Harry insisted.

"Harry," Dean insisted, "come on, what harm could it do?"

"Divination has always been kind of boring to me," Harry said.  "And all her predations weren't accurate."

They ended up having to almost carry both Ron and Harry to Professor Trelawny's office.  Trelawny looked up from her desk.  "Hello, dears.  I knew you were coming."

"Wow, she's good," Dean gasped.

"Ron needs to talk to someone about his depression," Harry said, pointing to him.

"Hey, you've got a problem too," Ron muttered.

"You're the one who refuses to get out of bed!" Harry growled.

"Yeah?  Well, you're the one who is in denial!"

"I am not!"

"You see, professor?" Ron asked, pointing to his best friend, "he denies it!"

"I see," she nodded.  "What about you boys?"

"We're just gonna sit down," Neville said, "or wait outside."

"Yeah, we just came to makes sure they came and here they are," Dean said.

"And now that they're here, I guess we'll go."  Seamus said and they hurried out of Trelawny's office.

"Now, what is troubling you two?" she asked.

"Well, Ron's falling apart," Harry began, "and--"

"I'm just fine!" Ron snapped.

"And you say _I'm_ in denial," Harry muttered.

"Well, you are!" Ron shouted.  "You saw what happened and you didn't believe it!"

"At least I care about Hermione and know her enough that she wouldn't really do what Draco made everyone believe she did!" Harry shot back and then they began to glare at each other with their noises pressed together.  "And if you cared about Hermione, you wouldn't believe it either!"

"Well, you find things easier to believe the second time around!" Ron grunted.  "And you don't even know what I'm going through right now so don't even try to understand!"

"What?"

"I saw Draco and Hermione kissing each other on the second day of school!" he retorted.  

"Um, boys," Trewlawny said, "my transfiguration may not be as good as Professor McGonnagal's, but I could change two desks into two soft sofas if that would be more comfortable for you to talk about your problems."

"Huh?" Harry asked.

Professor Trelawny smiled.  "I see that it didn't take much time for you to talk."  Then she looked serious.  "But would you rather lay down on comfortable sofas and calmly give me details or are you going to just yell at each other in my office?  Because you can do that in the boy's dorms."

"Oh, yeah, sure, sofas would be fine."  Ron said. "Thanks."

"All right then," she said as she took out her wand and transfigured two desks into two soft, plushy, velvety red sofas with matching pillows.  "Now lie down and relax."

Ron and Harry lay down on the incredibly soft sofas.  For a split second, they thought they were dead.

"Comfy?"

"Oh yes," Ron said.

"Mm-hmm," Harry hummed.

"Could I get you two butter beers?"

"Yeah…." Harry moaned, "I love that…stuff."

"I like mine with just a little foam," Ron said.

"Done." She clicked her fingers and a butter beer appeared over their heads.  

"Wow, Professor Trelawny," said Ron, "You sure now how to treat a guy."

"Has anyone come in here before?" Harry asked, "Not just for divination class, but to, you know, talk to you?"

"Sure," she replied.  "You're not the first students to come by with problems and I foresee that you will not be the last."

After a few gulps of butter beer, the boys were relaxed enough to talk to Trelawny about their 'problem'.  Though they thought it would be stupid, it was turning out to be fine.  They hadn't thought much about divination class, but it just seemed to be a better experience when they weren't in class.

"So, since Victor Krum asked her to the ball next fall," Ron said, "I realized my feelings for Hermione and I didn't want to go to the ball with anyone else except for her."

"At least you were over getting turned down by Fleur Delecour," Trelawny cooed.

"Hey, are you kidding me?  Fleur's part veela!" Ron cried.  "I'll never be able to live that one down!"

"But I didn't' seem to mind that Hermione was going with Victor Krum," Harry admitted. "I was more concerned about who put my name in the Goblet of Fire and when the next time Vold--"

Ron and Trelawny eyed him.

"I mean, You-Know-Who, would try to kill me again."

She nodded, "Yes, that was more important."

"Not to mention why Cho went to the ball with Cedric instead of you," Ron added slightly.

"Hey, quiet!" Harry hushed.  "I'm over that now!  And you shouldn't talk about him that way…he's dead."

"Harry is right, Ron," Trelawny said, "For all we knew, Cedric could be here watching us."

Ron and Harry nervously scanned the room.  Trelawny prompted for Ron to continue.

So, I couldn't wait until this year to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball," Ron said.  "I've had dreams about it. It was going to be perfect.  But my summer wasn't very fun and I guess that adds to my attitude."

Harry nodded, "he wouldn't stop talking about how bad his summer was on the train."

"And it kept building up," Trelawny stated. "You thought that once you got to school, you wouldn't have anything to worry about."

"Yeah," Ron said.  "Until I saw--" though he had already said it, he found it hard to say now.  

"Go on Ron," Trelawny said.

"Hermione, with him."

"This was when you went to sneak food from the kitchen for a late night snack?" Harry asked.

"I lost my appetite when I saw them together," Ron said.  "So your little theory about Pansy pretending to be Hermione can't be true, unless she drinks a polyjuice potion with Hermione's hair in it every day.  Have you noticed the way Crookshanks is?  He doesn't want to be near her. "

"I can't believe it," Harry mumbled.  "Why would she even think of being with that creep?  After the all the things he said and did to her?  And to everyone?"

"Ron," Trelawny said, "when you saw Hermione with Draco, how did that make you feel?"

"That's kinda personal," Ron mumbled awkwardly, "and you can imagine how it made me feel."

"I'd need to hear it from you," Trelawny said, "was it anger?  Hate?"

"I guess, I felt regret," he said.

"Regret?"

"Yeah…for not telling Hermione about my feelings for her sooner," he groaned.  "But I had no idea Draco would make moves on her as soon as we got to school!  And she's a prefect this year and I didn't want to, you know, pressure her or anything."

"She would've listened to you," Harry said.  "She's not that busy."

"I was confused too," Ron continued, "why was she interested in him?  He's such a creep.  He doesn't care about anyone about himself.  Then, it didn't take long for me to figure it out.  I know why she chose him over me and it's not because I didn't talk to her first.  Even if I did, she wouldn't care."

"Ron, Hermione's our friend," Harry said.  "Of course she would."

"Draco's family is richer than mine," Ron said.  "He could buy her anything she wanted.  I bet he's already given her fancy clothes and stuff.  For her birthday, all I could get her was a bottle of invisible ink."

"Well, that's nice of you, Ron," Trelawny said.  "Invisible ink is--"

"The bottle was empty," Ron said quickly.  "My brothers are making this joke shop.  They told me it was invisible ink, but they were just playing a prank.  I should've known."

Trelawny sighed.  

"So now you know why I'm the way I am," Ron mumbled.  "I don't care if I get to the ball or not.  If Hermione doesn't want me-no girl will.  They'd rather get nice jewelry than some deprived, love-sick boy's heart."

"You really love her, don't you?" Trelawny asked. 

Ron nodded.

"You can still tell her," she began, "it's--"

"That's what my sister told me," Ron muttered, getting up, "and it is too late!  Hermione doesn't care if I give her my heart or not.  She's more interested in getting fancy things and being with Draco than me!  He's giving the kind of things that I could never give her!"

"But you have something more valuable than money, dear," Trelawny whispered.  "You know Draco doesn't care for her."

"That's right," Harry said, "he's just using her."

"I know that."  Ron said.  "I just wish Hermione could see it.  But there's no use fighting it.  He has more money, more power than me, a cooler reputation, even if he is a creep.  Why do all the nice girls fall for the bad guys?"

"She must get excitement out of it," Trelawny suggested, "like a roller coaster going down.  But it has to go up sometime again before it goes down and when it does go up, it won't be as exciting.  Hermione probably does know he's using her, but she has to figure this out on herself.  She may seem to be having fun, but deep down inside, she's just as confused as you are, Ron.  Give her some time to come around and when she does, all you can do is be there for her."

"I don't' know if I can wait that long," Ron admitted.  "It's killing me."

"I know."

"I can wait," Harry said.  "Hermione has always been studying too hard and I guess she felt that she needed a change.  Then after this phase she is going through and realizes that Draco's just using her, she'll remember that we've always liked her the way she is.  Draco's probably acting this way toward her now because she's, well, less homely than she used to be."

"What are you talking about Harry?" Ron demanded, "She's never been homely to me!"

"I meant she looks better," Harry rephrased.

Trelawny nodded.  "You need to give Hermione some time.  However, a little reminder that you still care for her would give her a little push in the right direction."

"Thank you for listening, Professor Trelawny," Ron thanked as he and Harry got up from their sofas. "Can I come again some other time?"

"Oh, I predict that you will again sometime," she said.

Harry and Ron had almost gone when Professor Trelawny stood up.  "Oh, Ron, Harry, remember this one important thing."

"Yeah?"

"Remember to keep your friends close," she said, "but keep your enemies even closer."

Harry and Ron looked at each other and then to Professor Trelawny.  Ron grinned, followed by Harry.  They let out a soft chortle and eventually began guffawing as if they drank a laughing potion.

"Oh, that's funny, Professor!" Ron laughed, his cheeks red and hurting from the laughter.

"We feel much better now, thank you!"

"No, it wasn't a joke," she insisted, "Really, you must keep your friends close but your enemies even closer!"

"Oh, sure, whatever!" and with that, the two boys left the room.

*****

Ginny paced the common room, waiting for Ron and Harry to return.  Dean, Neville and the others told her nothing but that they left before Ron and Harry talked to Professor Trelawny.  'Come on, how much longer?' she thought.

For what seemed for an eternity, she heard the portrait of the fat lady creek open and she went to investigate.

"Ron!  Harry!" she cried.  "Tell me, how did it go with Professor Trelawny? What did she say?"

Ron tried to reply but he started laughing and it made Harry laugh too.  "She-she said--hahahaha!"

"What? What?"

But they couldn't' talk right now.  They walked up to the boys' dorm, laughing their heads off.  Ginny looked on, bewildered.

'Well, at least he's not depressed anymore,' she thought.  'It's a start.'

**Next Chapter:  A Slytherin Makeover For a Gryffindor Student**


	6. A Slytherin Makeover for a Gryfinndor St...

**Make Some Real Magic 6**

**A Slytherin Makeover For a Gryffindor Student**

_Disclaimer:  I am not the mastermind behind HARRY POTTER--J.K Rowling is!_

"This is going to be the worst day of my life," Ron groaned.  He was walking with Harry down the hall.  Harry was helping him find a date.

"Lighten up, will you?" Harry asked.  "It could be worse, you know."

"Oh yeah, how?"

"Voldemort could show up suddenly and kill us all."

"That's not funny, Harry," Ron muttered, "and you of all people should not say that name!"

"Hello, gentlemen," Draco said.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry demanded.

"You're not getting away with this," Ron said.  "We know that you're just taking Hermione to the dance to humiliate her!"

"You're just saying that Weasley because I asked her before you," Malfoy sneered, "and you're trying to get back at me anyway you can.  So, have you found a date yet?"

"We're looking," Ron said.

"Well, good luck," Malfoy said.  "You'll need it."

"You don't care about Hermione," Ron said.  "Why did you ask her?"

"I can have anyone in the whole school, you know," Malfoy bragged.  "I could've asked your sister if I wanted too."

"_I'm_ taking Ginny," Harry said.

"Typical," Malfoy said.  

"Stay away from my sister, Malfoy!" Ron shouted.

"Oh, you think you can keep me from getting any girl I want?" Draco demanded.  He laughed and walked away.

"He's just lying, Ron," Harry insisted.  Ron turned and ran back to Gryffindor Tower.  "Ron?  Where are you going?"

"Ginny!" Ron cried as he ran back to Gryffindor Tower, "Ginny!"  He ran up to the girl's dorm, "GINNY!"

"Ron, what?" Ginny demanded.  "Is there a mountain troll in the school again?"

"Oh, Ginny!" he pulled her into a tight, excruciating hug.  

"Ro-ohn…what are you doing?  Ow, must you hug me so tight?"

"Promise me something, Ginny," Ron said.

"What?"

He stepped back, "stay away from Draco Malfoy!  He's bad, bad, bad, BAD!"

"What would I want with Draco?  He's a jerk!"

"Just promise me that you'll keep away from him," Ron said.  "Okay?"

"Okay, okay…I promise.  Get a grip, Ron!"

"Oh, good," he embraced her again.  "That's my girl!  And if Draco ever tries to talk to you, you just come and tell me all right?"

'Why can't any of my brothers be normal?' Ginny wondered.

*******

"There you are, Miss Granger."

"Huh?" Hermione turned to see Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

"We were sent for you," Vincent said.  "Please come with us."

"Um, okay."  She took a bulky arm and they led her to the Slytherin Wing.  "Something wrong?"

"No."  Greg said.  "It's more of a surprise really."

When they entered the Slytherin Common room, Pansy Parkinson was standing there with several other Slytherin girls behind her.  "Hello, Granger," she said, a fake happy smile appearing on her lips.  "Today's the big day.  You're goin to the Yule ball with Draco."

"That's right," Hermione said, half expecting Pansy to jump her right then in there.  Hermione knew that Pansy had it bad for Draco.

"Well, it's time for us to make you beautiful."

"What?"

"Just relax, Hermione," Pansy insisted, taking her by the hand.  "This will be a lot of fun."  She led her to the girl's dorm.

******

Pansy Parkinson shampooed and conditioned Hermione Granger's curly hair.  Afterwards, she took a comb and started to comb it.  Hermione scrunched her face up and tried to keep her grunts of pain at a minimum decibel.

"Uh, Pansy, why don't we just use our wands?" asked Blaise Zabini, another Slytherin girl.  "It'd be easier."

'Less painful, too,' Hermione added mentally.

"I know," Pansy said, "but I thought it would be more fun this way.  This is how muggles get makeovers and stuff, right, Hermione?" taking the comb down her knotty hair, trying not to take pleasure in Hermione's pain.  "Too bad they don't have magic to get their hair silky and everything, hmm?"

"Yeah," Hermione said.

After combing out all the knots in Hermione's hair--which took about twenty minutes--Pansy scooped her hands into a container of gel and slid it into Hermione's hair.  She slicked Hermione's hair back, making sure every strand of hair had more than enough gel on it. They were doing the make over in front of a desktop mirror with all the supplies they were using on top of it.  Hermione blinked at how greasy her hair looked but didn't ask Pansy to half the gel out.  She looked more like Draco Malfoy's sister, the way her hair was new greased back like his, instead of his date and the girls have just started the makeover. 

With Hermione's hair heavy with enough gel grease cooking pans, Pansy began to French braid it while two other Slytherin girls filed Hermione's nails, one hand each. Hermione relaxed, wondering why Pansy was being so nice as to give her this makeover and get her ready for the Yule Ball.  She knew perfectly well that Pansy had the biggest crush on Draco Malfoy and would rather go out with him.  When they first started Hogwarts, Pansy would never talk or touch Hermione and here she was, braiding her hair and chatting up a storm about how _magical_ the night would be and how _honored_ she was to give her the makeover.  

"So, whom are you going with?"  Hermione asked suddenly when Pansy was halfway done with French braiding her hair.

Pansy stopped braiding, "well--"

"She's going with Vincent Crabbe," Millicent Bulstrode answered, close to the giggles.

"Oh, Vincent," Hermione whispered, trying not to laugh herself, "Well, he's um, _nice."  _'And dumb-haha' she added to herself.

"Yeah, I'm going with Vincent," Pansy said, trying to brag.  "I think he's got bigger muscles than Gregory Goyle, don't you think, Millicent?"

"Millicent's going with Gregory," informed Blaise in a hushed voice.

Pansy finished braiding Hermione's hair and secured it with a rubber band. As Millicent and Blaise Zabini to file Hermione's nails, Pansy went through the different colors of nail polish.  

"I think pink suits her better," Millicent said.

"_Pink_?" Hermione and Pansy gasped, with the same amount of disgust in their voices.  Hermione was surprised that pink wasn't her good color was one thing they could agree on, besides the fact that Draco Malfoy had to be the sexiest boy in Hogwarts, or at least Slytherin house.

"I thought you liked pink," Millicent shrugged as Blaise nearly laughed her head off.

"I like red," Hermione said

'Sure, it's a Gryffindor color, isn't it?' Pansy wanted to say with the angriest, coldest tone.  It sure wasn't easy for her to dress her up, Hermione Granger, her _rival_ to the best dance of the year with the boy of her dreams and keep a smile on her face, but she was doing good so far. 'This had better be worth it!' Pansy swallowed and picked up the different enamels.  "We need to find one that will match your dress and lipstick and make up."

"What color is my dress?" Hermione asked.  "Is it blue?"

"Didn't you wear a blue dress last year?" asked Millicent when she was finished filling Hermione's pinky, the last finger.  She blew on her nails.

"Yes I did."

"You shouldn't wear the same color of dress every year, you know," said Blaise, "it's bad luck."

"Oh, that's a stupid theory, Blaise," Millicent said.  "Besides, I think it's fun to wear a totally different dress each year."

"Can I see my dress?" Hermione asked, antsy.

"Not yet," Pansy said, trying to be enthusiastic.  "It's a surprise!"

"What color is it?  Is it even my size?  Have you seen it?"

Pansy almost broke one of the enamels in frustration.  It was taking all of Pansy's strength and sense to keep from yelling at Hermione, which wasn't a lot.

"It's a very pretty dress," Millicent said.  "Draco picked it out for you himself."

"Oh, you've seen it?" Hermione asked.

Millicent and Blaise nodded.  "It will look very pretty on you," Blaise said.

Pansy could not believe how nice Millicent and Blaise were being to Hermione.  Well, they didn't have to worry about a mudblood taking away their guys.  Blaise was going to the Yule ball with some fourth year and Millicent was going with Greg. 

"I found a color," Pansy said, taking out two bottles of silver nail polish from the collection and handing them to Blaise and Millicent as she turned back to the table to picked out new items for the rest of the makeover.

"Oh, my dress is silver, huh?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe," Pansy muttered.

"I like silver," Hermione said as Millicent and Blaise started to paint her nails silver.

Milicent and Blaise exchanged glances and grinned.  Hermione liked silver, a Slytherin color.  The cloak that Draco had given her was hunter green, another Slytherin color and they were sure she liked that too.  Hermione was becoming a Slytherin student. Pansy picked through the different lipsticks and cosmetic utensils.  After Millicent and Blaise painted a second coat on Hermione's fingernails, they put a topcoat of clear nail polish on to make the enamel shine.  They used their wands to make them dry instead of having to blow on them.  

Pansy approached Hermione with tweezers in her hand.

"What are you going to do with those?" Hermione demanded, her eyes on the tweezers.

"Your eyebrows need to be tweezed," Pansy replied, trying hard not to grin.  

"Um, maybe you should use your wand instead," Hermione suggested. "Blaise and Millicent used theirs to dry the nail polish."

"This shouldn't be too long.  Just keep still." Pansy said and reached forward with the tweezers and began to pluck each hair that was between her eyes or out of place.  Hermione said "Ouch" and winced every time.  Blaise and Millicent touched their own eyebrows and grimaced just watching.  Two minutes later, Hermione's eyebrows were shaped more defined.  She handed the tweezers back to Blaise, who gave it to Millicent and she put it back onto the counter. 

Pansy kept her palm open.  "Foundation."

Millicent picked up a bottle of foundation that matched Hermione's skin tone and a triangular sponge, handed it to Blaise and Blaise handed it to Pansy.  Pansy put a little blob on the sponge and dabbed Hermione's forehead, cheeks and chin and spread it out throughout her face and neck.  She handed it back and requested the next item.

"Eyebrow pencil.  Black."

 Pansy etched Hermione's eyebrows softly and handed it back.

"Eye liner.  Midnight."

Millicent picked up the liquid eyeliner entitled Midnight and handed it to Blaise who handed it to Pansy.  Pansy painted a thick line on her eyelid, next to her eyelashes and handed it back to Blaise.

"Eye shadow.  Smoke."

Millicent turned to the table and searched for the _Smoke_ eye shadow.  There were many plums, greens, golds.  'Hmm, where is it?' she thought.  She went around the table and got on her hands and knees to check and see if it fell down.

"Millicent," Pansy grunted.  "Can't you find it?"

"I just saw it…" an eye shadow dropped, from out of nowhere and onto her head. "Ouch…oh, here it is!"

 She picked it up and on the back it said _Smoke._  She handed it to Blaise with the eye shadow applicator.  Pansy put a heavy amount on the applicator and smeared it on Hermione's eyelids.  

"Eye-lid brush."  She brushed the shadow to make it smooth.

"Mascara.  Black."

Hermione assumed the position for the mascara applying-situation, an awkward open-wide mouth and her eyes half-open and forward.  Pansy wanted to poke her eyes out with the applicator.  She applied two coats to for both the top eyelashes and bottom eyelashes for each eye.

"Eye-lash curler."

Hermione squirmed slightly.  It was even worse than the mascara.  Nonetheless, she stayed still.  

"Blush."  She was handed a wine-color blush and she brushed it onto Hermione's cheekbones.

"Lipstick.  Silver."

Millicent searched the table for the silver lipstick but didn't find it, just as she had trouble finding the smoke eye shadow.  "It's not here."

"Did you use it all?" Pansy demanded.

"No," Millicent retorted.

"Blaise?

"I didn't use it!" Blaise shouted.  "It was just here a second ago!" 

"Maybe it fell down somewhere," Millicent suggested.  

"Or maybe someone stole it!" Blaise grunted.  "Like Peeves. We can't even get ready for a dance without him poking around!"

"That's okay," Hermione said, "I'd look funny with silver lips anyway.  It would be like having a metal mouth."

'That shouldn't be a problem,' Pansy thought, 'since you used to have such large teeth and needed braces.'

"How about this red?" Millicent asked.

"I don't remember that red being there," Pansy muttered.

"It's a different red," Blaise told her.  "Pretty dark."

"That's fine," Hermione said.  "I like red."

"Okay," Millicent said and handed the dark red lipstick to Blaise and she handed it to Pansy.

Pansy painted the lipstick on Hermione's bottom lip first and then the top.  She told Hermione to press her lips down and asked for the final item.

"Lip Gloss.  Cherry."

After having two coats of cherry lip-gloss, Hermione asked for her dress.

"We haven't forgotten," Pansy said.

Blaise stepped behind Hermione and placed her hands over Hermione's eyes, careful not to smudge her make up.

"Ooh, can I see?" Hermione asked.

Pansy opened a wardrobe and reached for Hermione's dress.  "You can look now."

Blaise removed her hands from Hermione's eyes, which were closed.  She snapped them open the second Blaise removed her hands.  She took one look at the dress and screamed, making the other girls scream and they screamed as if they thought they would never stop screaming.

*****

"So, did you find a date yet?"  Seamus asked Ron as they went to Gryffindor Tower

"No," he replied.

"The dance is in a few more hours," Seamus said.

"I know," Ron sighed.  "But I'll come anyway."

They went up to the boy's dorm to find Harry shoving something in his trunk.  He closed the lid down.  

"Hi Harry," Ron said.

"Oh…Ron!" Harry spun around. "Hello."

"What's in your trunk?" Ron asked.

"You're hiding the answers to the Transfiguration test, aren't you?" Seamus teased.

"No," Harry said, chuckling.

"Come on, Harry, what's in the trunk?"

"I was just doing some re-arranging, that's all."  Harry insisted.  "So, did you find a date yet, Ron?"

"Would people _please_ stop asking me that?" Ron demanded.

"Ah, dang it!" Seamus groaned.

"What?"  Ron asked.  "You don't have a date either?" 

"Oh, I have a date," he said, "I'm going with Parvarti."

"So what's the problem?"

"I left something in Charms, oh, I got to go…" Seamus turned and ran down the stairs.

"I think he's taking lessons from Neville," Harry said.

"Harry, I have an idea," Ron said.

"What?"

"I think we should spy on Hermione."

"Are you crazy?  Hermione's my friend!"

"Well, so am I!" Ron grunted, "and Hermione's not herself so I think we should spy on her so she will stay away from Draco.  We can use your Invisibility Cloak and--"

"Absolutely not!" Harry cried.  "My father didn't leave me his cloak so I can peek on girls, especially if one is my best friend!  And Hermione would be furious if she found out!"

"Oh, come on, Harry," Ron pleaded, "It's for a good cause.  And Hermione wouldn't find out."

"Forget it, Ron," Harry insisted.  "Let's just get ready for the ball.  Jus to let you know, Hermione _would_ find out.  She was able to solve every mystery, you know."

"Well, it was worth a shot," Ron sighed.

*****

"Oh my gosh!" Hermione squealed.  "That is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen!  I'm going to give Draco a very--"

"Glad you like it," Pansy said quickly, to make her stop.

"We pretty much screamed when we saw it too," Blaise said.  "Come on, let's help you try it on!"

The dress was sleeveless and made out of silk with a netting material onto of it that shimmered silver.  It brought out Hermione's eyes.  

"It goes these," Blaise said, opening a box what that the sexiest black and silver shoes with black nylons.  Hermione put them on.

"It goes with these too," Millicent said and placed a shiny, shimmering green shawl around her shoulders and green silk gloves. Hermione glanced in the mirror and grinned.  Pansy was quite impressed. 'Wow, I'm good.' She thought.  'To think _I_ did that to the girl I despise more than anything.'

"Now," Hermione declared as she picked up a perfume bottle and sprayed her neck with it.  It smelt very alluring.  "The _real_ fun begins!"

**Next Chapter: Dance 'Till You Drop**


	7. Dance 'Till You Drop

**Make Some Real Magic 7**

**Dance 'Till You Drop**

_Disclaimer:  I am not the mastermind behind Harry Potter, J.K Rowling is, of course.  OH and thank you for all that reviewed.  I know some of you are growing sick of the Hermione/Draco romance stuff and hope that Ron will step in soon.  Don't worry, I'll get to that!  But Ron won't be all alone for the dance…I have a special someone just for him…_

Harry was already dressed in his blue dress robes.  He glanced over at Ron who had his dress robes laid over on his lap.

"You coming?" Harry inquired.

"Yeah," Ron replied.  "I'll be down in a minute.  Go on ahead."

"You sure?"

"Positive.  Just don't hurt my sister, or I'll hurt you, understand?"

"I'll keep that mind," Harry said as he left the dorm.

Ron looked down at his maroon dress robes and sighed.  He might as well hurry and get it over with.  He knew for certain that tonight was going to be too long.

*****

"Don't you look gorgeous," Draco flattered as Hermione Granger stepped down the stairs.  He wore a black silky dress robe.

"Thanks for the dress, Draco," Hermione said.  "It's beautiful!"

"Especially on you."

Pansy groaned.  It was bad enough that the guy of her dreams was going with a mudblood than to hear him flattering her.  How come he never talked that way to her?  After everything she did for him.

"Here," Draco said, taking out a pendant from his pocket.  "Got something else for you."  He put around her neck.  The pendant had a silver chain and a huge emerald and inside the emerald was a dragon.

"Wow," Hermione whispered.  "Thank you!" she kissed his cheek and took his arm.

"Shall we?" he asked and he escorted her down the hall, with Pansy, Vincent and the other Slytherin trailing behind them.  Hermione felt that she was dreaming.  There was nothing that would ruin this night for her.  She was going to make sure of that.

*****

"Ron didn't come with you?" Ginny asked with a frown.

"He said he'd be down in a minute," Harry explained as they walked into the ballroom.  

"It's probably not easy for him, you know."  Ginny said, "Hermione going with Draco Malfoy…of all people."

"I know."  He noticed everyone gasp and the music stopping.  "What the?"  He and Ginny turned around and saw Draco stroll in with a beauty on his arm:  Hermione Granger.  But to Ginny, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor, it wasn't the Hermione Granger they knew.

"Oh my gosh!" Ginny gasped, "is _that_ Hermione?  What happened to her?"

Hermione's hair was pulled back into a French braid heavy with gel.  Her eyelids were smoky and dark and her lips appeared to be bleeding.  She had to be wearing at least 2 pounds of makeup and she was turning more than just Draco's head in the dress she had on.  Hermione bumped into Harry, but on purpose.  

She looked at him and sneered, "Why don't you watch where you're going, Mr. Potty Brain?"

"Hermione," Harry mumbled in surprise and in hurt.  "That's not funny."

"Maybe not for you, Potter," Draco said with a laugh.  "Look at how gorgeous Hermione is."  He trailed his finger down her cheek and Harry wished that Ron were not around to see it.  "She's one of us now."

"Draco Malfoy…what have you done to her?" Harry demanded.

"She wasn't happy being a Gryffindor," Malfoy bragged, "she's a Slytherin now."

"But she _sleeps_ in Gryffindor tower!" Ginny snapped.  "She's a prefect for Gryffindor, you moron!"

"Maybe the sorting hat made a mistake," Hermione suggested.  "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to dance with my handsome date here."

"Couldn't agree more," Draco said.  "See ya around, Potter."

Ron came down the stairs but didn't enter the ballroom.  He couldn't walk in there by himself.  He saw Hermione dancing with Draco, a smile on both of their faces.  Ron grimaced and grabbed his chest and leaned against the wall next to the doors.

"Get a grip, Ron," he told himself.  "You can do this.  You don't want Draco to win, do you?"  He stopped his little pep talk when he heard soft sobbing.  "What's that?"  He followed the noise.  It was just around the corner.  He looked around it and down with her face on her knees, wearing a yellow dress, crying her eyes out was Cho Chang.  "Cho?"

"Hmm?" she raised her head.  Her mascara was smeared and her face was tearstained.  "Oh…hello Ron."  She wiped away her tears.  

"What's wrong?"

"I couldn't go in there," she replied.  "Too many memories of Cedric."

"Who's your date?" Ron asked.  "I can go and get him for you."

"I don't have one," she said, sniffling.  "Didn't Harry tell you?"

"No.  Did you ask you?"

"Yes he did," she said, "but I didn't want him to have an emotional date, you know.  Poor Harry, he has enough on his plate and it wouldn't be fair for him if I made his night miserable.  Besides…I think he and your sister are a good match.  You're so lucky, Ron."

"Lucky?"

"To be Harry's best friend," she explained.  "He's so…nice.  He tried to save Cedric.  He brought him back even if there was nothing he could do for him.  What a friend!"  New tears welled up in her eyes and she began to cry again.  "I told myself I wouldn't do this!"

Ron patted her back, "hey…don't cry, Cho.  I miss Cedric too.  He was a cool student.  I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" she asked.

"Yes.  I had my heart set out on asking Hermione Granger to the ball," he explained, "and she's with Draco Malfoy."

"I heard about that," Cho mumbled.  "It doesn't make sense to me.  Hermione's such a bright girl.  What would she want with Draco Malfoy?"

"That's what the whole Gryffindor Tower was wondering."

"I think you two are right for each other," Cho said.

"I wish she would figure that out," Ron sighed. They sat next to each other in silence.  Ron got an idea.  "Hey…we're both dateless, aren't we?  So why don't we go in together?"

"That's sweet of you, Ron but--" she wiped her fresh tears away.

"Hey, just as friends," Ron said.  "What do you say?  No sense in sitting out here wasting the whole night, is there?"

Cho forced a smile.  "All right.  But just as friends."

Ron stood up and offered her his hand.  "Shall we?"  
She accepted it.  "Yes."

Hand in hand, they walked into the ballroom.  Both were trying to be strong.   "See, not too hard."  Ron said.

"We can still turn back," Cho suggested.

"No way," Ron said, "I'm not going to let Draco Malfoy make a fool out of me."

"There's Harry and Ginny," Cho said, "let's go join them."

"Well, you've finally got a date," Ginny said.

"Hi, Cho," Harry said, "how are you?"

She paused before answering.   "I'm fine."  

"Oh, look Fred," said George, "our brother has a date!"

"You missed Hermione and Malfoy's big entrance," Fred reported.  "Hermione looked like a--."

"Fred!" his date slapped his arm.

"Whole different person," Fred finished in a lower voice.

Ron looked over at Hermione dancing close with Draco.  It was worse than watching her dance with Victor Krum.  Ron's heart sunk and his stomach turned.  However, he forced himself to stay strong.  His hand tightened around Cho's, unintentionally.  She noticed and gave him a squeeze in return.  It wasn't easy for her to stand in the ballroom with couples dancing close with each other, all the students being happier than she was.  She wanted to scream.  She wondered if she could ever feel happy like that again now that Cedric Driggory was dead.

'Cedric, if you can hear me…' She thought.  'I miss you.'  "How about a dance, Ron?"

"All right."  He led her to the dance floor and they danced together as if they hardly even knew each other.  They both had their minds on someone else.  It was a mistake, for they backed into the dancing couple behind them.

"Oh, sorry," Ron began. "I--Hermione!"

"Watch it, you weasel!" she hissed.  She looked him over, "oh, nice dress robes, Ron."  She grinned, "Maroon has always been a nice color for you!  Ha-ha!"

Ron looked at his dress robe and then Draco's fancy one.  He tried not to show his embarrassment.

Cho was blown away by how much makeup she had on, "Hermione…who did your makeup?"

"Pansy Parkinson. She did an excellent job, wouldn't you say?"

Draco laughed, "Ah, I'm surprised you came, Weasley.  And even with Cho Chang.  But I think you two are good together, since you are the two most pathetic people in the school!"

Hermione joined in, "yeah, Cho.  Cedric's dead, get over it."

Ron was so stunned by Hermione's attitude he didn't want to say.  He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but it was Cho who told her off.

"You unfeeling, insensitive little wench!" Cho cried.  "How could you say such a thing?  Cedric was murdered.  He didn't have to die like that."  She pointed at Draco, "_You're_ the one who should've died back there!  Not Cedric!  We need all the decent people at Hogwarts we can get and you're just stinking up the school!  Why don't you transfer somewhere else, you rich brat?"  

"Ooh, that hurt," Draco said sarcastically.  

"You'll get nowhere with that attitude," Hermione said.

"Look who's talking!" Cho shouted.  "At least I'm not trying to be something I'm not!"  She pulled on Ron's arm.  "Come on, Ron…let's get out of here!"

"Yeah…all right."  He and Cho turned to leave and Draco decided to stick it to Ron.

"Oh, are you two going to go cry now? Hmm? Oh--boo-hoo-hoo! Ha-ha!"

Cho and Ron spun around, both with shocked and infuriated expressions.  This time, Ron took action.  He charged Draco and tackled him by picking him up by the back of his knees and then dropping him.  Draco tried to get up, but Ron being the taller one, he had the advantage.  Crabbe and Goyle were so stunned they didn't know what to do.  Ron took hold of Draco's collar and slugged him in the nose.

Cho decided to encourage Ron.  "Give him one four, Ron!  Beat him into a pulp!  You show him, Ron!"

"Fred, do you have a camera?" George asked in a whisper to his twin brother.

"No.  But I wish I did!" Fred replied and laughed.  "Ooh, that's going to leave a mark!"

"I didn't know Ron could hit so hard."

"Would you two stop it?" Ginny demanded.  "Excuse me, Harry."  She went to Ron and grabbed him by the waist.  "Ron, stop it!  Stop it!  That's enough.  You are _embarrassing _me!  Stop! Stop it!"  She tried tugging on him but it didn't work.  "Cho…would you give me a hand?"

"I will," Hermione said and she pushed Ron across the face then pushed him off of her date.  "Could you go now?  Some of us are trying to have some fun here!"  She bent down and helped Draco to his feet and dabbed his cut lip with her shawl.  "Are you going to be all right, Dracokins?"

Pansy gasped.  'That's _my_ nickname for Draco!'  She slugged her date in the ribs, "Do something, you--"

"Nevermind, Pansy." Ginny said, finally able to pull Ron back. "We were just leaving.  Ron, let's go.  You've embarrassed me enough."

"I'll go with you," Cho said, seeing enough of her date beat the living daylights out of Draco, even if she had enjoyed it.  She took Ron by the arm.  "Maybe you'd like some tea or something."

They were almost out of the room when Hermione decided to open her big mouth.  "Nice way of lifting Draco off his feet, Ron."

Ron turned his head but Ginny coaxed him to keep moving before he made another spectacle of his mouth.  "Come on, Ron," she said.

"Poor guy," Cho sympathized.  "I'll help you take him to Gryffindor house."

"Nah, that's okay," Ron said.  "Why don't you go back to the ball?  I don't want to ruin both our nights."

"Are you kidding?" Cho demanded with a smile, "that was the best thing I've seen in weeks!"

"Ahem," Ginny murmured.

"Oh, but you know fighting's against Hogwarts rules," Cho reminded.  "I'd better get to back to Ravenclaw house.  Goodnight."  She kissed Ron's temple.  "Now you get a goodnight's rest.  You look very tired."

"Goodnight, Cho," Ginny said.

"Tell Harry goodnight for me, will you?" she asked Ginny.

"Sure."

Cho turned in the direction of her house and Ginny continued to walk with her brother to Gryffindor House. "Ron, you can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Fighting your feelings for Hermione."

"That's not what I'm doing, Ginny," he muttered.

"All you have to do is tell her."

"That's enough, all right?" he grunted.  "Look, you don't have to walk with me all the way to Gryffindor.  Go back to the ball and have some fun, okay?"

"You want me to ask Harry to leave the ball early?"

"No."

"Are you sure you're all right?" she inquired, her face filled with concern.

"Yeah.  I'm fine," he lied.  "Just a bit tired.  You and Harry dance the night away, hear me?"

"All right," she gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek.  "Go straight to bed.  No offense Ron, but you look awful."

"Gee, thanks."  He forced a smile and turned to finish the walk up to Gryffindor house alone.  

Ginny sighed and turned back to the ball.  'I haven't seen Ron this depressed since Fred and George accidentally jinxed his favorite hat.  There's got to be _something _I could do to help.  But what?'  

*****

Ron trudged up the stairs and he found Crookshanks sleeping on his bed.  Crookshanks stirred, yawned, meowed and stretched. Ron scratched him behind the ears, thankful that he got some greeting.

"That owner of yours is out of her head," he muttered.  "You don't even know her anymore, do you?"

Crookshanks mowed and bowed his head, as if agreeing with him. "Neither do I." Ron sighed and looked at the mirror.  He didn't know himself anymore either.  His red hair was a mess and on his cheek was a red handprint where Hermione had slapped him.  He stepped to the mirror and looked at his maroon dress robes.  He remembered the awful remark Hermione had told him.

_"Oh, nice dress robes, Ron.  Maroon has always been a nice color for you.  Ha-ha!"_

Ron bit his lip. He snapped.  He took hold of his own dress robe and ripped it off of him.  Angrily, uncontrollably, he tore the dress robe into shreds as if his hands had grown minds of their own.  He could hear Hermione and Draco's remarks.  Crookshanks looked up at him in concern.

"Stupid…Malfoy…Hermione…why…did you do this to me…why?"  He began to sputter out nonsense.  "It's not…fair!  Argh!" he dropped the shredded remains of his dress robes on the floor.  He breathed in angrily.  His legs buckled and Ron gave in to his emotions.  The tall, redheaded, once humorous boy dropped to his hands and knees.  He couldn't' find anything to laugh at anymore.  No jokes to come up with.  He was ready to fall apart.  Ron, unable to hold it in any longer, realized he lost the only girl he would always loved to cruelest, coldest villain in the world.  Tears welled up in his eyes and he finally broke down and cried.  For emotional support perhaps, Crookshanks sat down next to him and purred.  Ron had never cried so hard in his life and didn't care if anyone saw it.  Not even Cho Chang could be hurting as much as he was this very moment.  He wanted to die.

**Next Chapter:  I Don't Know You Anymore (perhaps will be a song-chapter by Savage Garden's 'I don't Know you anymore')**


	8. I Don't Know You Anymore (song-chapter)

**Make Some Real Magic 8**

**I Don't Know You Anymore**

Disclaimer:  I did not create Harry Potter or Savage Garden.  I'm just a very big fan!

_I would like to visit you for a while_

_Get away and out this city_

_Maybe I shouldn't have called but someone had to be the first to break_

_We can go sit on your back porch_

_Relax_

_Talk about anything_

_It don't matter_

_I'll be courageous if you can pretend that you've forgiven me_

Hermione woke up later than the other girls.  They were already downstairs for breakfast.  She had the most amazing dream.  It was another dream about Draco again.  She had a pleased smile on her face.  She found an envelope next to her nightstand and it had her name written on it with black ink.

Thinking it was from her beloved Draco Malfoy, she snatched it up with a big grin on her face and tore it open.  Her heart beating fast, she read it anxiously.  

_Dear Hermione,_

_I can't hold it in any longer.  I've been so in love with you for as long as I can remember.  I know I made mistakes but maybe you can forgive me.  I can't stand to lose you to Draco Malfoy.  You are smarter than this.  He doesn't care about you.  He doesn't care about anyone but himself and you know that. I want you back.  Harry wants you back.  The whole house wants you back.  You sleep in Gryffindor tower, but it's like you're never here.  You eat at the Slytherin table.  They're changing you into one of them.  You're not a Slytherin. You're a Gryffindor.  Don't forget who you are.  I don't even know who you are anymore, but I still love you.  When you're ready to come back to me, I'll be waiting.  I'll be your knight in shining armor and I'll come rescue you._

_Love,_

_Ron_

Hermione laughed, thinking there was some mistake.  It couldn't be from Ron.  Just couldn't.  He didn't love her.  They quarreled like a pair of wild dogs.  She was disappointed that it wasn't from Draco.  Her disappointment turned to anger and she went to confront Ron.  He was still in bed, as she suspected.

"Ronald Weasley!" she shouted.

Ron jerked up, "Gryffindor wins…."

She pulled the blankets off him.  "What's the meaning of this?  Hmm?"

He blinked and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He focuses on Hermione.  "Oh, it's just you.  What do you want?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know!" She shoved the love letter in his face.  "What are you meaning to do, sending me love letters, Ron Weasley?  Are you trying to embarrass yourself even more?"

Ron looked the letter over.  "I didn't write that."

"It has your name on it."

"Well, someone must've wrote it as a joke," Ron groaned.  "That's not my handwriting.  But you wouldn't remember what it looks like anyway because you're with _him_ all the time, aren't you?"

Hermione double-checked the letter.  It did look awfully neat to be Ron's writing.  "All right…then who did?"

"I don't know," Ron got out of his bed and nearly fell, as if he had a hang over or something.  "And I don't care."

"You don't care about anything!" Hermione shouted.

Ron looked at her. "Oh really?  Well, if that's what you think, Hermione Granger, then you don't know me at all."

"Well, you're right there," Hermione said, "I don't know you."

"And I don't know you," Ron sighed, walking to the window.  "Not anymore."

"I'll find out the truth about this, Ronald Weasley!"

"I'm sure you will," Ron muttered.

"You're such a jerk!"

Ron turned and frowned.  "How can you call me such names when you're the one took pleasure in hurting Cho's feelings last night?  You let a lot of people down!  You're the jerk!"

Hermione stepped back and turned away.  Ron slammed his hand down on the windowsill.  He wanted to find out who wrote that letter himself…but who could've wrote it?  Who knew about his true feeling for Hermione? It's not like he told everyone how he felt.  Then he realized it.  Fred and George, of course.  They were playing tricks on everyone and they knew Ron had a thing for Hermione.  He quickly dressed and searched the school for his two meddling brothers.

******

_Because I don't know you anymore_

_I don't recognize this place_

_The picture frames have changed and so has your name_

_We don't talk much anymore_

_We keep running from the pain_

_But what I wouldn't give to see your face again_

"Ginny, are you all right?" Harry asked at breakfast  "You look kind of nervous."

"Hmm?  Who, me?" she joked.  "Oh, no. Ha-ha.  I'm fine."

"Then how come you're about to drink my milk?"

"Oh my gosh!  This is _yours?_" she gasped.  "Sorry, Harry."  She set it down and picked up another goblet.  "This is mine, right?"

"Yes."

Ron ran to the dining hall and slapped the back of his brother's heads as they were drinking their orange juice.

"Ron!" Fred and George spat.

"You two, up, now," Ron muttered.  "We need to talk."

"Can't we finish our breakfast?" George demanded.

"I wonder what Fred and George did this time," Harry said as George and Fred reluctantly followed Ron outside the dining hall.

"Uh-oh," Ginny whispered.

"All right, you two!" Ron muttered.  "What are you trying to do to me?"

"What are you talking about, Ron?" George asked.

"Shut up, George," Ron snapped.  "You know what I'm talking about!"

"I'm not George," George lied, "he's George.  I'm Fred."

"Honestly, man," the twins joked, "You call yourself our brother."

Ron sneered, "I don't have time for this!  Which one of you wrote the letter to Hermione?  Was it you George?"

"Letter?" George mumbled.  "What letter?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me," Ron ordered, "I want to know which one of you wrote that letter to Hermione and I want to know now!"

George grinned, "oh, look Fred…our little brother's in love!"

Ron almost charged George and Ginny yelled at him to stop.

"What's going on here?" Ginny demanded.

"Do you know who wrote the letter to Hermione?" Ron asked.

"We didn't write a letter," Fred said.  

"Don't lie to me!" 

"Neither of them wrote the letter, Ron!" Ginny cried, "_I_ wrote the letter and left it at her nightstand."

Ron blinked, "you, you wrote it?"

George and Fred gasped, "Whoa…could she possibly be our sister?"  Fred asked.

"I don't believe it," George mumbled.

"Yes, I wrote it, okay?" Ginny sighed.

"Why?" Ron demanded, his surprise turning to anger.  "If I wanted Hermione to get a letter I would've wrote it myself!"

"No you wouldn't, Ron!"  Ginny said.  "I wrote the letter to Hermione because I know _you_ wouldn't do it on your own.  I was just trying to help."

"Ah, that's so sweet," George said, pretending to wipe a fake tear away.

"Quiet!" Ginny snapped.  "All right, maybe I made a mistake giving Hermione that letter…but I had to do something!"  

_Springtime in the city_

_Always such relief from the winter freeze_

_The snow was more lonely than cold if you know what I mean_

_Everyone's got an agenda_

_Don't stop keep that chin up you'll be all right_

_Can you believe what a year it's been_

_Are you the same?_

_Has your opinion changed?_

She stormed back to Gryffindor tower and found Hermione wiping her face with a wet cloth and taking her braid out.  Apparently, Hermione had partied a little too hard last night and went straight to bed without bothering to take her make up out.  She still had her dress on.  

"Finally woken up, hmm?" Ginny demanded.

"Why, hello, Ginny," Hermione said in mock politeness.  "Did you have a fun time with Potty?"

"Harry," Ginny corrected through clenched teeth.  "And I would've had a better time if you and your date didn't upset my brother!"  She didn't need this right now.  She was upset enough already.

"Ooh, tough talk," Hermione said.  "Now if you excuse me, I need to take a bath and get this gel out of my hair."

Ginny would have let her go, not without letting Hermione getting a peace of her mind.  "I don't' think so, Hermione," she said, pushing her back.

"Excuse me?"

"You've hurt my brother far enough!" she shouted.  "And all he's ever done was love you!"

Hermione laughed out loud as if Ginny had told the funniest joke.  "Oh, you must be mistaken.  But there is one thing that I don't understand.  Maybe you can help me with that.  Ron left me a letter but he wouldn't confess that he wrote it."

"That's because he didn't!" Ginny snarled, "I wrote the letter!"

"You?  Hmm, that explains why the writing was neater than his," Hermione mumbled.  "But why would you do such a thing?  Why didn't Ron leave me the letter?"

"Because you've hurt him," Ginny retorted, "and he doesn't know what to do.  I was trying to help so I wrote the letter.  And it's true.  He does love you!"

"What would I want with a poor boy like him?" Hermione demanded.  "Hmm?  When I got a fabulously rich man like Draco Malfoy?"

"Draco Malfoy is nothing but money!" Ginny snarled, "and insults!  But my brother loves you.  I just don't see how you could hurt him the way you do, you brat!"

"I don't need your brother to be my knight in shining armor," Hermione muttered.  "I can take care of myself."

"Who are you trying to convince, Hermione?" Ginny demanded, "me and everyone else or yourself?  Admit it, you need my brother more than you realize."

"Listen, there's nothing I want from your brother, understand," Hermione said, "and there's nothing he can give me.  He's just a poor boy and no one loves him.   Your family is pathetic."

_Because I don't know you anymore_

_I don't recognize this place_

_The picture frames have changed and so has your name_

_We don't talk much anymore_

_We keep running from these sentences_

_But what I wouldn't give to see your face again_

"Oh, that's it!"  Ginny shouted.  "No one talks about my family that way!  I'm going to show you what we Weasleys are all about!" Ginny lunged at Hermione with a cry and pulled her to the ground.  Surprised, Hermione stayed still for a moment or two then tried to get up. They rolled around and scratched at each other's faces.

"You were the closest thing to a sister to me, Hermione!" Ginny yelled, "but I now I don't even know you!  You know your popularity won't last and you'll end up Hermione the Mudblood again!"

"Don't call me that, you Weasel Girl!" Hermione growled reaching up and pulling on Ginny's hair.  Ginny screamed but didn't give up.

"MUDBLOOD! MUDBLOOD! MUDBLOOD!"

"Do you hear that?" Lavender asked Parvarti as they walked up the stairs.  "What in the--"

"CATFIGHT!" Parvarti cried.  "Ginny's kicking Hermione's can!"

Girls crowded around Hermione and Ginny, cheering Ginny on.

"This is for my brother!" Ginny said, punching Hermione across the face.  Hermione stumbled back.

"Wanna see what this mudblood can do?" Hermione demanded, reaching to her hip where she usually had her wand.  "Oh, curses!"  She hurried to her bed to get her wand but Lavender picked it up.

"Nah-ah-ah!  Ginny's unarmed!"

Hermione straightened up.  "All right, you've made your point.  I don't need to rumble with you to make mine.  I'm going to take a bath."  She got across the room when Parvarti stuck her leg out and Hermione tripped over it.  The girls laughed.

"You'll thank me, Hermione," Lavender said, but her voice didn't seem threatening.  "We don't know you anymore.  We just know the old Hermione and we wish she'd come back, so if you see her, give her the message, won't you?"

Hermione sneered and left the dorm and the girls ran over to congratulate Ginny.  Ginny wasn't very proud of herself.

"My mother's going to be so mad at me!" she wailed.

*****

_I know I let you down_

_Again and again_

_I know I never really treated you right_

_I've paid the price_

_I'm still paying for it every day_

As she took off her dress and stepped in the bath, Hermione hoped for no interruptions. She was wrong when she felt the water become cold.

"I think you look better when you grew whiskers," Moaning Myrtle said, appearing at the end of the bathtub.

"Go away, Myrtle," Hermione grumbled, "I got enough trouble with the living, I don't need it from the dead too."

"You were nicer then too," Myrtle said.  "Well, just for that, I won't tell you then."

"Tell me what?" Hermione asked.

"No, no.  You don't care about anything money so you wouldn't care if Draco was just using you too."

"Using me?" Hermione muttered, "ha--ridiculous.  Using me for what?"

"He wants to make you a Slytherin," Myrtle said.  "And so far he's succeeded."

"How would you know this?" Hermione demanded.

"I'm a ghost," Myrtle reminded, "I can move freely anywhere in this school, you know.  And I was here when Pansy was gabbing about it with some friends of hers.  Draco paid Greg and Goyle 20 galleons to be nice to you.  He promised Pansy that they'd go on a date and he bribed the other Slytherin students with money too.  They're playing you for a fool, Hermione."

"I don't believe you," Hermione grumbled.  "You're just jealous that I'm becoming popular and you were never popular when you were alive and even dead you still annoy people."

"Well, I told you what I needed to say," Myrtle said.  "I just don't know you anymore."

"I wish people would stop saying that!" Hermione groaned.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Myrtle said and faded out into a wall.  The water became warm again and Hermione poked the bubbles in her bath.  

"It can't be true," Hermione said to herself.  "It can't be."

Throughout the whole day, Hermione did her best to forget everybody's warnings.  She and Draco talked to each other about how much fun they had with each other at the dance the previous night.  Everyone had to be lying.  Draco had changed.  Hermione was sure of it.  He wasn't the jerk she always pegged him to be.  Or maybe she was the one who had changed and Draco had just been the same he's always been and she got used to it. But there was a certain special way he acted around her. He was still mean to the students of the other houses but he treated her like she was a princess.    

Hermione walked past an empty classroom.  The door was wide open.  On the floor was Hermione's pendant Draco gave her.  Wondering why it wasn't around her neck, she placed her hand there.  She positive she had it on before she took her bath.  How did it end up here in this empty classroom?

"My pendant," she said, stepping into the classroom.  Someone picked up her pendant before she did.  "Hey!"

"We need to talk."  It was Ron. 

_Because I don't know you anymore_

_I don't recognize this place_

_The picture frames have changed and so has your name_

_We don't talk much anymore_

_We keep running from the pain._

_But what I wouldn't give to see your face again_

"I don't think we have anything more to talk about," Hermione said.  "Now give me back my pendant!"

Ron took out his wand, pointed it at the wide open door and shouted something.  The door slammed shut and locked itself.  "No.  Not unless I say what I have to say.  That letter wasn't from me, it was from Ginny."

"Yeah, she told me.  I wonder where she gets it," Hermione said.  "I guess your red hair isn't the only thing that your family has in common."

"Listen, Hermione, I probably wasn't the one who wrote it," Ron began, "But every word is true.  I couldn't have written the letter better myself."

"I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore," Hermione muttered.  "I don't need you to be my knight in shining armor, understand?  I can take care of myself!"

"Hermione, we need you in Gryffindor.  Think what would've happened to Harry if you were in another House.  He needs you, the whole house needs you….I need you, Hermione."

"Shut up!" Hermione shouted, clapping her hands on her ears.  "I don't want to hear it."

"You have to hear it!" Ron said, grabbing her arms. "All the lower classmen are looking up to you.  You're not a Slytherin, Hermione.  You belong in Gryffindor!"

"Oh, yeah?" she hissed, flinging her arms.  "Well maybe the sorting hat made a mistake!"

"The sorting hat never makes mistakes!" he argued.  He kept hold of her arms. "Even if you were to try it on again it will still say Gryffindor.  You are and always will be part of Gryffindor House.  Draco only likes you now because you're older and prettier.  Your teeth aren't as big as they used to be, your overbite's fixed and your hair doesn't look like cat fur--that's why he's paying attention to you now.  He wants to turn one of us into a Slytherin and he chose you!  He doesn't care about you at all! But I do!  He's pretending to be your friend because he thinks you look twice as decent as you used to four years ago!  But just so you know, Hermione Granger, _I loved you before_ all that!"

Hermione stared, "you what?"

Ron let go.  "I loved you for who you are, not because how smart you were, or how beautiful you became."  Ron spoke with his eyes closed, his hands clenched at his sides. "But you don't care anything about that do you?  You're one of them now, right?  You'd rather have Draco's money in your pocket than my heart, huh?  Well, if that's how you want it, Hermione, then I guess we have nothing more to talk about.  I don't even know you anymore!"

"Ron--I--"  Hermione began.

"Just, just don't say anything all right? Go ahead and put the sorting hat on again.  Prove me wrong."  He tossed her pendant back at her.  "I'm through trying to prove myself to you.  I'm going back to Gryffindor House."  He walked to the door and tried opening it. He'd forgotten that he jinxed it so it was locked.

"Here--let--" Hermione said.

"Allahomora!" the door unlocked and he hurried out of the classroom before Hermione could see the tears appearing in his eyes.

"Ron! Wait! Ron!" Hermione came to her senses and ran out the door.  "Ron! Ron."  He was gone.  She clenched her hand in a fist, biting her lip.  "Ron…I'm so sorry…oh, what have I done?"

_I see your face_

_I see your face_

**Sad huh?  Find out what happens next in _Gryffindor or Slytherin?_**


	9. Gryffindor or Slytherin?

**Make Some Real Magic 9**

**Gryffindor or Slytherin?**

_Disclaimer: We all know who created Harry Potter and it wasn't me!_

Hermione roamed the halls, not sure where to go.  She didn't have a destination in mind just yet.  She was going over Ron's words.  He really did love her.  He was right under her nose the whole time.  Why did she go to Draco Malfoy?  Was she losing it?  

She found herself in the great hall where they had the sorting each year.  The sorting sat untouched on a table.  She walked up to the table and picked up the hat.  She remembered what Ron had told her.

_"Go ahead and put the sorting hat on again.  Prove me on._"

Hermione's hands began shaking and tears blurred her visions.  "Maybe it did make a mistake.  Maybe I really do belong in Slytherin and not Gryffindor."  Her hands grew heavy all a sudden but she pulled the hat up and held it over her head for a moment or too.  Tears rolling down her cheeks, she began to bring the hat down to her head very slowly.  Just before the sorting hat touched her hair, Hermione choked on a sob and threw the sorting hat down. She didn't have to put the hat on again.  She knew where she belonged.  She knew the whole time, she just realized she had always known all along.  But Hermione still felt confused.  She didn't know what she wanted.

Hermione ran out of the sorting room, wiping her tears away.  She still wasn't sure were to go so she wandered around.  She stepped on a suitcase and it changed on her.  It took her to a dark corridor and she took the path it led her.  Hermione looked behind her to make sure no one was there.  So far she was lucky.  Hermione found a heavy door and she pulled on it to open it.  She stepped inside and it closed on her.  The room was unmistakably cold and she put her arms around herself.  There was a glinting in the corner and she walked to it.  It was a mirror.  She saw her reflection and she walked closer.  The words at the top were no mistake.  She recognized it.

"I know this," she whispered, "The Mirror of Erised.  Harry saw his parents here…I wonder what I'll see."

The mirror began to show her an image and Hermione gasped in anticipation.  In the middle, stood a young woman standing alone.  But Hermione could not make out her face.  It was blurry.  She could only make out her brown, shabby hair, that looked so much like hers.  Hermione touched her own hair and stared at the image.

"Is that me?"

Then the young woman in the mirror was not alone anymore.  Two people appeared on both sides of her and she had her arms hooked into theirs.  Their faces were blurred out too, as if a fog was right in front of their faces. They were dressed like the middle ages.  The young woman looked like a princess.  The one on her right looked like a knight, clad in shining armor, sword and a helmet that he held in his right hand, and the one on her left was dressed as a bishop.  Their faces began to clear up and Hermione leaned closer for a better look.   Hermione gasped.  They were the faces of her two best friends.

"Ron?  Harry?"

Hermione's heart began pumping like a steady base drum.  She cried.  The mirror had showed her what her deepest desire was. She couldn't figure it out on her own because she was so confused.  Hermione could not deny it.  The mirror was right.  She missed Harry and Ron desperately.  She pushed them away from her as if they meant nothing to her.  If it weren't for her, Harry wouldn't know what potion to drink  to stop Voldemort from taking the Sorcerer's stone and if she wasn't with Ron and Harry when she bought Crookshanks, Ron wouldn't have found out that his pet rat was actually a spy for Voldemort too. If it weren't for Ron and Harry, she would have been another mountain troll victim. They needed her and she needed them.

Hermione smiled through her tears.  The three people in the mirror smiled too. They looked so happy.  "Ron…Harry!"  Laughing to herself, Hermione turned to leave the room.  She just hoped that Ron and Harry would still be there for her, that they'd forgive her for her mistakes and the mean things she said to them.

*****

Ron was in the common room stroking Crookshanks when Hermione came back.  "So, what did the sorting hat say?" he demanded.

"I didn't even have to put it on," she whispered.  "I already know where I belong."  She nodded to the girl's dorm.  "Here…"

Ron smiled, took Crookshanks off his lap and stood up with his arms out wide.  "Well, welcome back to Gryffindor."

Hermione choked back a sob and laughed lightly as she stepped into Ron's arms.  "Oh Ron…I'm so, so sorry!  The awful things I've said to you.  I didn't mean any of it!"

Ron patted her head and rocked her. "Hey, it's all right.  It's all over now.  I forgive you.  I'm just glad that the old Hermione's back."

Ron's kindness made her cry and she sobbed into his shoulder. "I've been just so confused…" She leaned into Ron.  It felt so good to be held by him.  She could stay here forever.  Why did it take so long for her to realize this?

"Hermione, what's wrong?" asked a concerned Harry.  He had heard her crying and was walking down the stairs to see what was the matter.

Hermione let go of Ron and turned around.  "Oh, Harry!"  she ran to him and flung her arms around his neck and sobbed on his shoulder.  Harry's glasses almost slid down his nose.  "Harry--I'm so sorry I called you a Mr. Potty Brain!  I didn't mean it!"

"It's all right," he told her, "I forgive you."

"Oh…thank you!  I promise not to insult you ever again." She said.  

Crookshanks looked up at Hermione and mowed.

"Crookshanks!" she gasped and picked up her cat, "I owe you an apology too, don't I?  I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah," Ron said, "Professor Trelawny told us to be there for you when you realized what you were doing was wrong.  It was just a learning experience you were going through.  You had to find out for yourself and when you came back to us, we'd forgive you, which we did."

"I should've talked to Professor Trelawny," Hermione admitted.  "But…I didn't' know you could do that."

"Well, she's the closest thing to a school counselor," Harry said.  "We literally had to carry Ron to her office because he was falling apart."

"And all because of me, oh, Ron…I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, Harry had to talk to her too," Ron said, "he was in denial of everything."

"I was _not_!" Harry barked.  "I was just trying to stay optimistic."

Hermione bit her lip and threw her arms around her best friends' neck.  She pulled them to her in a big group hug.  "Oh, I missed you guys!" she cried.  "I hope we'll never fight again!  We're supposed to be friends and we need to stay close."

"Yeah," Ron said, "just like what Professor Trelawny said, 'Keep your friends close and--'"  he really didn't want to finish the last part.  

"'never let them go!'" Harry finished and winked.  He didn't want the last part to be spoken either.  For all he knew, it couldn't made Hermione cry again.

They all laughed and embraced each other.  It felt so good to be best friends again.

_The End…No, I'm kidding!  There's some more left!_

*****

Hermione woke up early.  She gave herself a mission and she accepted it.  She was back with her best friends and she had forgotten how good it felt to have them back.  She missed them desperately and Draco Malfoy was trying to shatter her friendship with them.  Ginny, Ron, Harry, Myrtle, Sirius, everyone was right.  They were trying to warn her that Draco was setting her up.  Why didn't she listen to them?  Ron and Harry was all she had.  

Hermione picked up her bracelet, her pendant, her earrings, shoes, her cloak--every fancy gift Draco showed her with and placed them on her bed.  She placed her pendant, earrings, bracelet and other small tokens of what money could by in a pocket of the cloak.  Then she sat down next to her trunk, took out a sheet of parchment and quill.  She inked her quill and glanced at the empty bottle next to the one filled with ink.  She picked it up.  It was the one Ron gave her, what he thought had invisible ink.  It was really empty, a practical joke from his twin brothers.  However, Hermione believed now it wasn't exactly empty.  There was something in the ink bottle.  It was Ron's love for her.

Smiling, Hermione put the empty ink bottle down and began to write on her blank sheet of parchment.  Her smile disappeared as her face screwed up in concentration and anger.  She began a letter to Draco.

_Draco,_

_I know the truth.  You've been using me.  You don't care about me.  You were only trying to brainwash me into becoming one of you! Well, it won't happen.  I belong in Gryffindor.  I'm needed there.  I don't want your petty gifts.  You can have everything back. Why don't you give them to Pansy Parkinson instead? She's the only girl in the whole school that thinks you're really something? _

Hermione paused and looked at her fingernails.  They were still painted silver. She had to get it off as soon as she was finished with the letter. She couldn't stand to have anything silver or green on her.

_I've had enough, Draco.  I'm not falling for your little scheme.  You were taking me away from Harry and Ron.  They're my best friends, but you wouldn't know about anything about friendship, now would you? You just stay away from me.  I don't want to have anything more to do with you.  
 Hermione_

Hermione folded the letter and placed it in an envelope, licked it and shoved it in the other cloak pocket.  She used her wand to remove the silver nail polish off her fingers.  Her arms laden with the dress, shoes, the cloak and broom other money-bought processions, Hermione set out to return the items back to Draco. Her fellow Gryffindor classmates gawked at her and asked if she needed any help with the heavy load, but she simply smiled, told them that she had it handled and continued to fill out her mission.

She stopped at the trapdoor leading to the Slytherin House and dropped her load next to it.  "Goodbye, Draco," she said and turned to leave.

"I was wondering when you'd come to your senses," Pansy hissed behind her.

"I don't want to talk to you, Pansy," Hermione said over her shoulder, "I just came to return everything to Draco.  You can have it if you want."

"Good, I was getting tired of pretending to be nice to you," Pansy sneered, "he paid Crabbe and Goyle 20 galleons and took me out if we'd be nice to you.  Oh…I'm sorry…did I hurt your feelings, Granger?  Are you going to cry now?"

"No, Pansy," Hermione muttered, "I'm not.  I'm going to be with my friends."

"Yeah, go on to your little poor boy and freak," Pansy said nastily. "You have no friends here."

"You don't even know the meaning of the word, Pansy," Hermione grunted and left the Slytherin House.

Pansy rolled her eyes then bent down to look at all the treasures her Draco wasted on Hermione.  "I can't believe I helped her in that dress…ugh!"

"Pansy, what are you doing with that?" Draco demanded.  "That stuff belongs to Hermione!"

"Well, not anymore," Pansy said, finding the letter in the cloak pocket and holding it out to him.  "I guess she doesn't want to be your girlfriend anymore."

"No, I don't believe this!" Draco gasped, taking the letter.

"Oh, you poor baby…but I'm still available if--"

"I don't want you, Pansy," he sneered.  "You…you bother me!"

Pansy gasped and walked away, "well, if you don't want my love then I'll go to someone who will treat me right!  Whaaa!"

Draco looked over the note, twice, thrice.  He couldn't' believe what he was reading.  Hermione had it all wrong.  He wasn't just trying to turn her into a Slytherin.  That's the lie he fed to his classmates so they'd be nice to her.  There was another reason, a more sensitive reason and he was going to tell her everything today.

"Hermione…" he mumbled.  Draco tightened his hand in his fist and went to find Hermione.

*****

"Harry, Ron, wait for me!" Hermione cried after her two best friends.  

"Hermione, hey!" Harry said.

Hermione slid her arms through theirs, just as she saw herself do in the mirror of Erised last night.  "Let's go visit Hagrid!"  she suggested, "I miss him!"

"Yeah, we told him what was up," Ron said, "and he was in more denial than Harry was…"

"I never saw Hagrid cry so hard," Harry added.

Hermione frowned, "I made him _cry? _I just hope Fang still remembers me…"

"Well, isn't this cozy!" Draco shouted.

Ron, Harry and Hermione turned around.  "What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry demanded.

"I have to talk to Hermione," Draco said.

"Haven't you done enough to her already?" Ron questioned, moving in front of her protectively.

Draco didn't have to explain himself to Ron or Harry.  He kept his gaze on Hermione, "Hermione, listen, I--"

"Shut up!" she shouted, putting her hands on her ears, "I don't want to hear it!  I'm tired of you lying to me, Malfoy!"

"I swear to you, Hermione, I'm not going to lie to you this time!" Draco yelled.  

"Everyone was right, I should've believed Sirius, he warned me about you!"  Hermione cried.  "Everyone did!  They told me everything!"

"Sirius knew about it?" Harry asked, "but….we didn't tell him."

"He saw us," Hermione said hesitantly.

"Hermione, please…just listen to me!"  Draco pleaded.  

"We know what you were up to, Malfoy," Ron said.  "Just leave Hermione alone!"

"Stay out of this, Weasley," Draco sneered.  "You too, Potter!  This doesn't concern either of you!"

"Of course it does!" Harry snapped, "Hermione's our friend!"

"What everyone told you wasn't true," Draco said, "I was DESPERATE!"

"Yeah, you're a desperate, diluted little snake, Malfoy!" Ron shouted.  "So leave Hermione alone!"

"I said stay out of this, Weasley," Draco said, "and you should've listened to me!  Just chill all right?  I have something to say to Hermione and I won't leave until it's said!"  he reached for his wand and pointed it at Ron.  "_Freezio!"_

A cold, blue mist shot out of Draco's wand and made it way to Ron. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.  Ron gasped, Harry reached for his wand and Hermione went to a drastic measure.

"Ron…Draco….No!" she put herself in front of Ron and took the shot.  Ice firmed up over Hermione's body.  She stood as a frozen statue of ice.  Her eyes were closed and her mouth was caught in a wince.

"Hermione!" Ron and Harry shouted together.  Ron moved in front of her and said her name a few times.  Harry tried to remember the counter spell.  Draco stared in disbelief.  His hand loosened up around his wand and he almost dropped it.

"No," he whispered. "No…I…"

"What did you do to her, Malfoy?" Ron demanded, "Just look what you've done!"

Draco swallowed, "I didn't' know she was going to move.  Here, let me change her back…"

"NO!  You've done enough damage already!" Ron cried.  He lunged at Draco but Harry grabbed him.  It was hard to keep him from moving since Ron was taller than he was.

"Ron, no!"  Harry shouted.  "This isn't the right time.  Hermione needs us right now!  Let him go, he's not worth it!"

Draco stayed where he stood.  "I didn't mean it, Potter."

"Just get out of here, Malfoy!" Harry shouted.  "Beat it!"

Draco took a few steps back, tightened his hand around his wand ad fled to his house.

"She just…jumped in front of me, Harry," Ron said.  "Why would she do that?"

"You'd do the same for her," Harry reminded.  He let him go and turned to Hermione.  He remembered the counter spell and used it to melt the ice.  Hermione dropped an Ron caught her.

"She's so…cold," Ron whispered, picking her up in his arms.

"Let's get her to the hospital wing," Harry said.  "We have to get her warm."

With Hermione in his arms, and Harry right beside him, Ron made haste to the hospital wing.

**Next Chapter: Hermione's Knight**


	10. Hermione's Knight

**Make Some Real Magic 10**

**Hermione's Knight**

Disclaimer:  I'm just a big fan of Harry Potter, not the creator.

Hermione rested for two days.  She had frequent visitors.  Ron hardly left her side.  Sitting next to her, holding her hand, he waited for some sign.

"You saved me," he whispered.  He brushed a hair out of her face.  "Please…wake up…"

"Is she all right?" Draco asked.

Ron spun around, "you?  What are you doing here?  You're the reason why she's here!  Go away, Malfoy!"

"I didn't mean to hurt her and you know that," Draco insisted.  "None of us knew she was going to do it.  It was an accident."  In his hand he held a bouquet of red roses.  "So…is she all right?"

"There's no change," Ron said sadly.

Draco sighed.  "Hermione's a very talented witch for a mud--I mean, someone from a muggle family.  The best."

"Well, Malfoy," Ron said, "I think that's one thing we can agree on."

Sensing he wasn't wanted, Draco left the roses down on an empty bed.  "Just make sure she gets these, all right?"

"Yeah," Ron sighed.  He looked over at the roses and began to pace the room, waiting for Hermione to wake up. He couldn't just sit holding her hand anymore.  He felt like he had to do something.  But nothing came to mind. 'Please, Hermione…wake up.'

Hermione's were shut but they were moving, as if she was having a very strange dream.

*****

In a tall tower with one window, a princess sat looking out the horizon.  She wore a scarlet dress made out of velvet with long sleeves that were off her shoulders.  The top two inches of her dress was a shimmering gold and around her waist and down the front of her dress was also a gold strip.  On her head was a small golden tiara.  She had thick brown hair that fell around her shoulders and deep brown eyes.  The tower she stayed in was dark and black.  She was a prisoner there and she waited for her knight in shining armor to come and rescue her.  There traps leading up to the top of the tower and she dared not try to leave.  All she could do was wait and hope that some day her knight would come for her.

The princess sighed, her hands folded in her lap.  "Will no one come and save me?" she wondered out loud.   She stared at her hands and a tear trailed her cheek.  When she thought all was lost, she heard the pounding of a horse's hooves on the ground.  She looked out her window and at long last, a knight in shining armor was on his noble black stallion.  With the knight was another hero, a bishop.

The knight and bishop approached the tower and stopped. The bishop stayed with the horses.

"I will stay with the horses," he insisted, "go in and save the princess. Remember, there are traps."

The knight bowed and entered the tower.  Along the floor was a black and white squares.  He picked up a candlestick and threw it on one of the black squares and a blast of fire came to that spot.  The knight could only walk on the black squares but could also move in a certain pattern. He stepped on a square and move diagonally until he got to the other side, which led to a staircase.  Whatever trap lay ahead, he was ready for.  The princess could hear the swinging axes and falling rocks and wondered if her rescuer couldn't finish the quest.  Then she heard footsteps outside her locked door. A sword burst through the wooden door and cut it apart. The knight stepped through the busted door. The princess stood in amazement.

"You made it through all the traps alive," she whispered.

"Let's get you out of here," the knight said, taking her by the wrist.  He led her down the staircase and pulled her out of whatever trap was in her way.  They reached the black and white tiled floor and he picked her up in her arms.  "This whole floor is trapped.  We can only move a certain way."

The princess folded her arms tight around her neck and pressed her face into his shoulder.  Whatever traps were left, she didn't want to see them.

They made it to the other side and exited the tower.  The knight set her down on her feet and the bishop greeted her.

"Feels better to be outside the castle, doesn't it?" he asked in a friendly sort of way.

"Thank you for rescuing me," the princess said. 

The knight helped the princess mount the black stallion.  Before he mounted before her, she stopped him.  "What is it?" he asked.

"Remove your helmet," she requested.  "I want to look upon the face of my hero."

The knight stood silent for a moment.

"What are you waiting for?" the bishop asked.  

"Please?" she whispered.  "I want to give you a kiss, as a token of my gratitude."

The knight nodded and lifted his hands to his helmet.  He pulled it up slowly, revealing his chin, his mouth, a lock of red hair and--

*****

Hermione's eyes blinked and they opened finally.  She looked around the room and saw Ron pacing back and forth.  For a split second, his clothes were replaced with a suit of armor.  She blinked again and focused on him, sitting up.

"R-Ron?"

Ron stopped pacing and hurried to her side, "you're awake!"  Hermione became dizzy and he sat next to her, pulling her head to his shoulder.  "Careful…you might be kind of dizzy.  How do you feel?  Is there anything I can get you?  Are you warm enough?"

"I'm all right," she whispered.  It felt so good to lean against him.  The smell of his skin was so…she couldn't explain it.  "Where am I?"

"The hospital wing," he replied.  "You sure you're all right?"

"Yes.  What happened?  How did I end up here?" she asked.

"You don't remember?" Ron questioned.

"Remember what?" she moved back and touched her head, "the last thing I remember I was with you and Harry.  We were going to see Hagrid.  What happened after that?"

"Malfoy stopped us," Ron answered hesitantly. "He attacked me with his wand and you stepped in front of me."

"I did?"

"Yeah, if it weren't for you," Ron explained with a smile, "I'd be the one lying in bed. Thanks…but you really didn't have to do that you know."

Hermione shook her head.  Now she remembered.  If she hadn't done that then Draco would've gotten away with another act of boorishness.  "Yes I did.  Where's Harry?  Is he all right?"

"Yeah, he's okay," Ron replied.  "He made Draco leave after what happened to you."

"How long have I been here?" she asked.

"Two days," he replied.

"Two day?" she gasped, sitting up and trying to get out of bed.  "Oh no!  I have so much homework to make up for!  Why didn't someone come wake me up?"

"Relax, Hermione," Ron said, pushing her back down.  "It's okay.  You can make up for it."

"But I haven't exactly been keeping up with all my work you now," she muttered, "I'm going to fail everything!"

"Now you won't," Ron insisted.  "Harry's been picking up all your work.  I'm sure you can take care of it in a day or two.  You're the most brilliant girl in school.  Don't worry about it."

"Oh, if you say so," she groaned.

Harry walked into the hospital wing, carrying Hermione's schoolwork that she had missed.  "Glad to see you up, Hermione."  He said.  "How do you feel?"

"Give me that!" she cried, reaching for the papers. She began patting herself. "Oh, does anyone have a quill and ink?"

"I'm glad to see the old Hermione back," Harry said.  "You know what happened?"

"Yeah, Ron told me," she replied.  She saw the roses behind Harry.  "Hey, Harry, are those roses from you?"

"Roses?" Harry turned around and picked them up.  "No.  Are they from you Ron?"

"No, Malfoy," Ron corrected.

Harry almost dropped them.  "Malfoy?  What was he doing here?"

"To visit Hermione," Ron said.

Hermione took the roses, "there's a card."

"You want us to get rid of those for you?" Harry requested.  

"I might as well see what he wants," Hermione said.  "It's okay…I can handle it."  She read the note.  It was pretty legit.

_Hermione,_

_I'm sorry what happened to you.  It was an accident.  When you feel better, I'd like to talk to you.  It's very important.  _

_Get well,_

_Draco._

Hermione shrugged, "well, that was pretty decent."

"He's just showing off, Hermione."  Harry said.

"I'd like to know what he needs to tell me," Hermione said.  "I just hope it will be the truth.  After all the lies he told me…I don't know if I can trust him."

"Hey, you're a smart girl," Ron said, "You can make him spill even if you have to make a truth potion to do it."

Harry reached in his pocket and tossed a cylinder object into Hermione's lap.  "I thought you'd might be looking for this."

"The lipstick!" she cried, picking it up.  "How did you get this?  Wait a minute…you decided to go for a little stroll in your invisibility cloak, didn't you?"

"You dog!" Ron shouted, pushing Harry.  "You said you'd never use your invisibility cloak to spy on Hermione and that's exactly what you did!"

"It's nothing I'd brag about," Harry muttered, "besides…it was all an accident and I was just trying to help Hermione.  I tried to take the eye shadow too but then Blaise bumped into me and I dropped it.  I managed to switch the lipsticks."

"Just what did you all see, Harry?" Hermione demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"How long were you there?"  

"Yeah…Harry, fess up!" Ron urged.

"Hey, I didn't see anything I wasn't supposed to see, if that's what you're implying!" Harry said.  "I left before Pansy showed the dress and you all began screaming."

"Where they screaming because they saw a boy in the girl's dressing room, hmm?" Ron asked.

"No one knew I was there!" Harry insisted, "Honestly, Hermione, I left before you put the dress on.  Would I such a thing?"

Hermione laughed and tossed the lipstick back, "I think you're safe, for now…but don't ever try sneaking up to the girls' dorm, understand?"

"I promise!"

*****

When Hermione was getting to feel better, she decided to go and have a talk with Draco.  Enough was enough.  She had to know the truth.  She met with him in an empty room.

"Hi, Hermione, how are you?" he asked.

"Shut up," she muttered.

"What?"

"Let's just cut to the chase, all right?" she demanded.  "I only came here to the truth out of you."

"I'm not going to lie to you anymore," Draco promised.

"That's why I made this," she pulled out a truth potion.  "Now you have no choice but to tell me the truth."

"I don't need to drink it," he said, "because I _am_ going to tell the truth!"

"Drink it!" she shoved it in his hand.  "You've lied to me and you gave me no choice.  Now drink it."

"You'll just have to trust me now," Draco insisted. 

Hermione pulled out her wand and held it on him.  Her hand was shaking. "I said drink it!"

Afraid of being hexed, Draco pulled the cork out and drained the potion.

"Good," Hermione whispered.  "Now tell me the real reason why you pretended to be my friend."

"I was desperate," he said.

"Yeah…that's what you said before you tried to turn Ron into an ice statue."

"It's true.  You didn't really have to make me drink this potion because I was really planning on telling you the truth."  Draco said.  "I needed help.  I didn't want to be a coward anymore.  I did it to save my father."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"My father is a Death Eater, all right?" he shouted.  "So are Crabbe and Goyle, who are supposed to be my friends!  They work for Voldemort!"

"You shouldn't say his name."

"Saying his name makes me feel braver," Draco mumbled.  "You want to know why I hate Potter so much?  Because I'm jealous!  He survived every encounter he had with Voldemort and he's so damn courageous!  I would kill to be that brave!  His parents were brave too.  You know Voldemort tried to get followers, but Potter's old man wouldn't succumb to be his follower him and he killed his parents for it.  They had the lucky way out.  Potter should be grateful."

"What--for his parents to be dead?  You know how Harry lives now?"

"It's better than serving Voldemort for all eternity, don't you think?" Draco demanded.  He sighed.  "If Voldemort is as powerful as people really say he is, he shouldn't have any Death Eaters!  My father wasn't as brave as James Potter.  He didn't admire Voldemort, he was afraid of him so he became his servant.  I wish my father would stand up to Voldemort, make him stop."

"I don't understand," Hermione whispered, "I thought--"

"What, because I'm in Slytherin house and I tease everyone that I like Voldemort?  I hate him!" Draco's closed his eyes tight and a tear slid through one of them.  "I thought he was gone for good after he killed Harry's parents.   But then Voldemort had to possess Professor Quirrell and make him drink that unicorn's blood and try to steal the sorcerer's stone.  Now Voldemort is still out there.  He'll kill everyone when he gets the chance."

"That's why you pretended to be my friend?" Hermione asked, "to get back at Voldemort?"

"I know…it was a cowardly thing to do," Draco admitted, "I had to do something.  I found out that a sacrifice could probably put an end to Voldemort.  A mudblood sacrifice."

"You what!? You're sicker than I thought!"  Hermione shouted. "You were doing more than just trying to turn me against my friends," Hermione said, "but you were going to sacrifice me to Voldemort?"

 "I'm sorry.  I didn't know what else to do."

"Why me?  Why not Seamus Finnigan?"

"Finnigan's half and half--it wouldn't have worked."

Hermione paused and rubbed her arm in thought.  "Wait…when you gave me that cloak and broomstick for my birthday and we went out for a ride, you wanted to show me something, weren't you?  That thing you wanted to show me was the sacrifice, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Draco replied.  "But then I was having so much fun with you, I totally forgotten why we left in the first place.  I didn't even care.  I remembered again my reason why I talked you into a ride so I planned to try again on the night of the Yule Ball.  You see, I only meant to pretend to be your friend, to like you, maybe even fall in love with you…but I started to like you for real.  I couldn't do it.  I fell in love you, Hermione.  I felt guilty for my reasons to pretend to be your friend so I was going to tell you the truth.  I really think you're a good person and I didn't want any harm to come to you.  I want to try again and really be your friend this time."

"Really?"

"Of course," he insisted.  "I just had a truth potion, remember.  I made a mistake and I'm sorry.  I just wanted to stop Voldemort and save my father.  I'm tired of being a coward.  When we saw Quirrell drinking that unicorn's blood, I ran and left Potter alone.  If that centaur didn't' show up when he did then Harry would've been killed and that would have been the end of everything.  I was mad at Potter for not choosing to become a Slytherin and I wanted him to pay for it with his ego…but…I realize there's a reason why he was sorted into Gryffindor.  He's the only one who can stop Voldemort.  We can't let him die."

Hermione was shocked.  Draco was praising his rival. "But you…hate Harry!"

"Yes, because he's braver than everyone in the school put together," Draco admitted, "and survived every encounter he had with Voldemort. All the other students love him for it.  Just because I laugh when he makes his house lose points doesn't mean I want Potter to die."

Hermione smiled, "Draco…I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

"I can't believe what I'm saying," Draco said, "but remember, I had a truth potion.  I made a mistake and I'm sorry.  I realize even if I had gone ahead with the sacrifice then it wouldn't' stop Voldemort.  Only Harry Potter can do it.  But I was desperate.  I wanted to save my father.  I just…didn't want to be a coward anymore!" Draco placed his hand over his eyes and sobbed.  He turned his back on Hermione and let him have his flip.  

Hermione felt that Draco was holding this in for his whole life.  She walked to him and put her hand on his back.  "You're not a coward, Draco."

"Huh?" he wiped his eyes and looked at her.  "Of course I am…I did a bad thing."

"No, you are not," she insisted, "you tried to save your father.  You could have just let it alone, but you went ahead and did something.  It probably wasn't right, but you were willing to sacrifice a classmate for your father.  If that's not courage, I don't know what is."

His lip quavered.  "But I couldn't go ahead with it."

"And that was even more courage," Hermione told him.  "Don't worry, we'll save your father. We'll save all the Death Eaters.  I promise.  You ought to tell Dumbledore. He'll find a way."

Draco wiped his tears a way.  "Thanks, Hermione.  You're right."  He sighed.  "Friends?"  He held out his hand.

Hermione nodded and grasped his hand, "friends."

*****

Hermione walked through the courtyard, the snow falling around her.  She shivered.  She had on no jacket.  She heard footsteps in the snow behind her and someone wrapped a robe on her.

"After what just happened to you," Ron said, "you should stay out of the cold."

"I just wanted to look at the snow for a minute," Hermione said, turning around.  Ron had his arms around her.

"So…did you get the truth out of Malfoy?" he asked.

"I did.  His story was kind of sad."

Ron looked surprised, "Sad?"

"Yeah.  But I don't want to talk about it right now."  She sighed and leaned against his chest.  "I'm sorry that everything was such a mess for you this year."

"Well, I was pretty bummed when I found out you were going to the ball with Draco," Ron admitted.  "But we can still go next year."

Hermione gasped, "oh, I wish you had told me sooner.  I had already promised Harry that I'd go with him!"

Ron gasped, "what?  The traitor! How could he--"

"I'm joking, Ron," Hermione said laughing.  

"Oh," he blushed.

"I'm glad everything's all right now," Hermione said.  "It's like magic…real magic.  How everything turns out."

"Yeah," Ron nodded.  "Real magic."

They were caught by the twinkle in each other's eyes.  Ron lifted Hermione's chin up and kissed her.  Hermione could not believe the way it made her felt.  It was much different than Draco's kisses.  It warmed her soul.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into the kiss.

Harry was passing the hall with Ginny.  She Ron and Hermione through a window.

"Harry--look," she said.  "I've never seen Ron so happy."

"Neither have I," Harry admitted.

Ginny kissed Harry impulsively on the cheek. Harry blushed.  "What was that for?"

"Just for being you," she replied and ran down the hall.

Harry smiled and looked at the window again.  His best friends were happy.  They were all together again.  A smile crept on his face.  Now if only he could stop Voldemort, Harry would be the happiest man in the world.

**The End.  Not bad for my first HP fic, huh?**


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